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  February 09, 1990                                               No.4.06
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                       CPU NewsWire Online Magazine 
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 > 02/09/90: CPU Newswire #406  The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine! 
   ---------------------------- 
     - The Editor's Podium                   - CPU REPORT
     - WORD FLAIR CONF.                      - PC-DITTO 2 ARGH!
     - MICRO - RTX                           - WAACE/'90
     - DynaCADD 1.7 p.III                    - CPU CONFIDENTIAL

          ---====****   ATARI CONSIDERS JOHN NAGY!   ****====---
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 > The Editor's Podium

     Every so often we are faced with situations  that, at  the moment seem
 insurmountable, but  then, as  time goes  by, it  seems to  become easy to
 overcome these  problem situations.   This  has been  a wierd  week in the
 online circles  and in  the Atari arena in general.  Developers upset with
 one another, good people getting into  shouting matches  over this doggone
 PC-Ditto II hassle.  Avant Garde needs to increase its online presence and
 needs to do it now.  This is bad news to see them keeping  such a distance
 from the  users and  allowing the general userbase's morale to drop to all
 time lows over this flap called PC Ditto 2.  The users  who have supported
 AG all  these months  now require AG to show some support in the form of a
 very apparent online presence.  How about it Bill??

     As fate would have it, PC-Ditto II and PC Speed slug it out, and along
 comes a  new kid  on the  block, Supercharger...  In the next week we will
 know quite a bit about Supercharger as we will be doing an in-depth review
 of  this  new  device.    This  week we are carrying some preliminary info
 only.  Also next  week we  will be  reporting on  the latest  product from
 Michtron, FAST-FAX!   This  hardware device enables the ST to successfully
 transmit and receive high quality FAX transmissions effortlessly.  

     Atari has released Laserbrain  to the  userbase its  only been  in the
 states for almosty a year waiting to be released.  Sometimes a tradeoff is
 more than just that from every direction.  Laserbrain is  a needed product
 for the SLM 804, but of course, being from Germany, is monochrome only.
 The Atari spokesperson, John Townsend has promised online support for this
 program.  The users are (I am sure) grateful.

                                Thanks for your support,

                                     Ralph....






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 > CPU REPORT
   ==========

   Issue # 53
   ----------


 by Michael Arthur


 Remember When....

       In 1981,  Ashton-Tate  introduced  dBASE  II,  which  became  a best
 selling Database  management program,  and in  1984, introduced dBASE III,
 which became an industry standard, or  when in  1989 (after  five years of
 industry rumors,  including two  years of  vaporware status)  dBASE IV was
 introduced, only to be challenged fiercely  by the  many powerful database
 programs which had emerged in that 5 year hiatus?


 CPU Systems Roundup XXII 
 ========================

            Dream Computer Systems V:  The Empires Strike Back
            --------------------------------------------------

 Part II 


     In Part  I of  this Series, I showed a list of the most powerful Dream
 Systems that could be configured from both the microcomputer industry, and
 the growing crop of low-end workstations.  While there were probably newer
 computers and peripherals that could  have  been  included,  the  list was
 generally accurate.   Now  I will compare the Dream Systems, their various
 features being stacked against each  other  to  determine  which  ones you
 could safely consider the "best".

       However, the cost of these Dream Systems, which is admittedly out of
 the reach of the  majority of  computer users,  may cause  some to believe
 that configuring  such a  list is  useless.  But analyzing how far current
 computers  can  truly  go  with  current  peripherals  not  only  helps in
 realizing  the  capabilities  of  our  machines, but can be useful in both
 setting priorities for the level of price/performance in  our systems, and
 in defining more clearly what we should demand from our computers....


 Here is a Graph of the features of each Dream System:

                            Dream Systems List:
              (Comparison of each Systems' Optimal Features)
 _________________________________________________________________________ 
 Dream      |Main Chips,|MHZ Rate|Mass      |Expansion|Graphics Displays  |
 System     |Megs of RAM| & MIPS |Storage   |  Slots  |Best Resolution(s) |
 -----------|-----------|--------|----------|---------|-------------------|
 IBM 486    |Intel 80486| 25 MHZ |1 Gigabyte| Four (7)|800*600 w/16 Colors|
 System     |Eight Megs |17 MIPS |Tape Drive|PC AT Bus|1024*768*256 Colors|
 -----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
 Mac IIci   |68030/68882| 25 MHZ |650 Meg   | Zero (3)|640*400*256 Colors |
 System     |Eight Megs |6 MIPS  |Tape Drive|NuBus    |1024*768*16 Million|
 -----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
 SG Personal|R3000/R3010| 20 MHZ |170 Meg   | One (1) |1024*768*16 Million|
 Iris System|Eight Megs |16 MIPS |Hard Drive|VME Bus  |                   |
 -----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
 Amiga 2000 |68030/68882| 33 MHZ |300 Meg HD| One (7) |640*256 w/64 Colors|
 System     | Nine Megs |8 MIPS  |10Meg Tape|Zorro II |1280*200 w/4 Colors|
 -----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+-------------------|
 SPARCStat. |SPARC/W3170| 20 MHZ |650 Meg   | One (3) |1152*900*256 Colors|
 System     |  16 Megs  |12 MIPS |Hard Drive|S-Bus    |                   |
 -----------|-----------|--------|----------|---------|-------------------|
 ATW        | 10 T-800s | 20 MHZ |300 Meg   | Zero (4)|512*480*16 Million |
 System     |  13 Megs  |60 MIPS |Hard Drive|Abaq     |1280*960*16 Colors |
 -----------'-------------------------------------------------------------'


       In the  Mass Storage  column, Tape stands for removable storage, and
 HD stands for fixed, or hard disk storage.  Secondly, while there are many
 measurements  to  determine  the  number of MIPS (Million Instructions Per
 Second) that a system  can do,  in this  Essay, one  MIPS is  equal to the
 ability to compute approximately 1500 Dhrystones per second.

       Also, the Expansion Slot Column now measures the number of available
 expansion slots in each Dream System  AFTER installing  the various add-in
 boards in  each System  Configuration.   The number  in parentheses is the
 total number of expansion slots in the system.


 Based on both this graph, and the System  Descriptions, I  have determined
 these Standings: 

 IBM 386 Dream System:  Tied for First Place

           - One of the Two Best Systems Currently Available -

       The IBM  Dream System  is truly  a superb example of a Dream System,
 providing powerful capabilities, and being very  well rounded  in features
 which are  superb in themselves.  The IBM Dream System's capabilities have
 increased steadily,  and now,  with the  80486's blazing  speed, there are
 virtually NO  weaknesses apparent  in this  system.  Resulting in that the
 IBM Dream System dominated many of the Dream System Comparisons.   But its
 marginal win over the Personal Iris weakened its ranking, and its decisive
 loss against the ATW ended its secure First  Place ranking.   However, the
 ATW's own  weaknesses and  losses against other systems meant that the IBM
 System was just as qualified for First Place as the ATW System....

      Mac IIci Comparison:   The IBM  is superior  to the  Mac IIci  in the
 number of  Expansion Slots,  amount of mass storage, and processing speed,
 is  equal  in  the  amount  of  RAM,  and  is  inferior  only  in graphics
 capabilities.  Therefore, the IBM scores higher than the Mac IIci....

      Iris Comparison:   The  IBM is  superior to  the Personal Iris in its
 amount of Mass Storage, and  expansion  slots,  is  roughly  equal  in its
 processing  speed  and  amount  of  RAM,  and is only inferior in graphics
 capabilities.  Therefore, the choice is  between the  IBM System's greater
 expandability and  amount of mass storage, and the Personal Iris' graphics
 capabilities.  Therefore, if you can  live with  256 colors  at a 1024*768
 resolution, the  IBM scores  higher than the Personal Iris.  But only by a
 small margin....

      Amiga 2000 Comparison:  The IBM  is superior  to the  Amiga System in
 processing speed,  graphics capabilites,  # of Expansion slots, and amount
 of mass storage, and is roughly equal in the amount of RAM.   Since  it is
 not inferior  to it  in any  degree, the  IBM scores  much higher than the
 Amiga System.

      SPARCStation Comparison:  The IBM is superior in  the amount  of Mass
 Storage, #  of expansion Slots, and processing speed, is equal in graphics
 capabilities, and is inferior only in the amount of RAM.   And  since more
 RAM can  be obtained  in the  future, the  IBM scores much higher than the
 SPARCStation.

      ATW Comparison: The IBM is superior in the amount of Mass Storage, is
 roughly equal  in the  # of expansion slots, and is inferior in the amount
 of RAM, processing speed, and graphics  capabilities.   Therefore, the ATW
 scores higher  than the  IBM System, with the lack of an ST/ATW Compatible
 Magneto-Optical being the ATW's inadequacy in this comparison.


 Macintosh IIci Dream System:  Fourth Place

       With the Macintosh IIci, the Mac Dream System has not only been able
 to keep  most of  its processing capabilities, as well as all of its other
 features, but is now drastically reduced in price.  It is well balanced in
 features, and  has managed  to gain  a substantial  speed increase without
 needing an expensive Accelerator board.  However, it seems that  while the
 Mac IIci  System isn't  inadequate in itself, that the other Dream Systems
 have advanced a lot more than  it has.   Resulting  in the  Mac IIci Dream
 System becoming the "middle of the road" contender in this list.  But with
 Apple's upcoming high-end Mac, the Macintosh Dream System  could reach for
 the top of the heap....

      Iris Comparison:   The Mac is superior in the amount of Mass Storage,
 and is roughly equal in its amount of  RAM, expansion  slots, and graphics
 capabilities.   Since it is inferior in system speed, the question becomes
 whether Mass  Storage is  more important  than processing  ability.  Since
 Mass storage can be readily obtained, then the Personal Iris scores higher
 than the Mac IIci.

      Amiga 2000 Comparison:  The Mac is superior in graphics capabilities,
 and the  amount of mass storage, and is slightly inferior in the amount of
 RAM and expansion slots, as well as being plainly outmatched in processing
 speed.   So while  the Mac  System is better in graphics and mass storage,
 the Amiga System is better in processing speed, and (since it has  7 total
 system  slots)  has  greater  expandability.    But since neither system's
 advantages outweigh the other's,  the Mac  and Amiga  systems are  tied in
 this essay.

      SPARCStation  Comparison:    The  Mac  is  superior  in  its graphics
 capabilities, and amount of  Mass Storage,  is roughly  equal in  the # of
 expansion slots,  and is  inferior in  processing speed  and its amount of
 RAM.  Since the Macintosh  also  has  more  third-party  hardware products
 available for  it, the  Mac IIci's potential expandability is greater.  So
 if one considers graphics and  mass  storage  to  be  more  important than
 system speed,  then the Mac scores higher than the SPARCStation.  However,
 this is also a difficult decision....

      ATW Comparison: The Mac IIci is superior in Mass Storage and graphics
 capabilities, and  is inferior  in system  speed, its total # of expansion
 slots, and its standard  amount of  RAM.   Since both  lists of advantages
 have the  same number of items, one must consider which list of advantages
 is more important.  However, the ATW and Mac IIci  Systems each  have zero
 available slots, so in that area the ATW is neutralized.  Therefore, since
 more RAM can be bought in  the future,  the Mac  IIci Dream  System scores
 slightly higher than the ATW Dream System.


 SGI Personal Iris Dream System:  Third Place

       The Personal  Iris made  a strong showing in the Dream Systems list,
 with processing  speed and  graphics capabilities  rivalling or surpassing
 the best  of the  rest.   However, while  it is  superb in many areas, its
 worst weakness, its relatively mediocre amount  of Mass  Storage, combined
 with the ATW's overwhelming speed advantage and its loss to the IBM system
 (by a small margin) kept it from getting First Place....

      Amiga 2000 Comparison:  The Iris is superior in processing speed, and
 graphics capabilities,  is equal  in the amount of RAM, and is inferior in
 the amount of Mass Storage.  So if you can  wait for  better mass storage,
 then the Personal Iris scores higher than the Amiga System.

      SPARCStation Comparison: The Iris is superior in processing speed and
 graphics capabilities, and is inferior in the amount  of Mass  Storage and
 RAM.   However, while  both lists  are tied, the Personal Iris' advantages
 are more important.   As such,  the Personal  Iris scores  higher than the
 SPARCStation.

      ATW  Comparison:     The   Personal  Iris  is  superior  in  graphics
 capabilities, is roughly  equal  in  the  #  of  expansion  slots,  and is
 inferior in  processing speed, amount of RAM, and Mass Storage.  Since the
 ATW has more advantages, it scores higher than the Personal Iris....


 Amiga 2000 Dream System:  Fifth Place

       The Amiga 2000 System  is extremely  well balanced  in features, and
 has an excellent set of options.  In processing speed and graphics ability
 it is equal to the mainstream of regular workstations, and it does compare
 well to  the other  Dream Systems.   However,  its mediocre amount of Mass
 storage, as well as the other Systems' processing  speed, caused  it to be
 ranked a  lot lower  than expected.   And while its features were equal to
 the Mac Dream System's, its above weaknesses caused it to be ranked lower.
 However, it has done well for its debut, and it has much potential....

      SPARCStation Comparison:  The Amiga 2000 is superior in the amount of
 Mass Storage, is equal in the  # of  expansion slots,  and is  inferior in
 system speed,  amount of  RAM, and  graphics capabilities.  Therefore, the
 SPARCStation's advantages cause it to score higher than the Amiga.

      ATW Comparison:  The Amiga is slightly superior in Mass  Storage, and
 is inferior  in everything else, including graphics, # of expansion slots,
 amount of RAM, and  system speed.   So  if one  can live  without a larger
 amount of Mass Storage, then the ATW scores MUCH higher than the Amiga....


 SPARCStation Dream System:  Last Place

       The SPARCStation  1 is a superb Dream System, being well balanced in
 features that are VERY powerful in themselves, and  with capabilities that
 are very  good.  But not good enough.  Unfortunately, many of its features
 have been met, or exceeded, by  the  competition      It  hasn't  stood up
 against other  Dream systems using RISC technology, like the Personal Iris
 and ATW, and the  Mac and  IBM Systems  have surpassed  it.   And while it
 unquestionably defeated  the Amiga  Dream System,  its other losses ensure
 its  low  ranking.    The  SPARCStation  Dream  System  is  quickly  being
 outperformed....

      ATW  Comparison:    The  SPARCStation  is  superior to the ATW in its
 amount of  Mass  Storage  and  standard  RAM,  is  roughly  equal  in high
 resolution graphics,  and #  of expansion slots, and is inferior in system
 speed and low/middle resolution graphics.  Since both  are tied  in items,
 one  must  consider  which  items  are  more  important.  Since CPU Report
 considers system speed and virtual  superiority  in  graphics  to  be more
 important than the amount of RAM and expansion slots, then if you can wait
 for a larger Hard Drive for it, then the ATW scores higher than the
 SPARCStation.


 ATW Dream System:  Tied for First Place

          - One of the Two Best Systems Currently Available -

       With its parallel processing and graphics capabilities, the  ATW has
 managed to  maintain a  level of  performance above  the rest of the Dream
 Systems.  While some of its  advantages have  declined in  superiority, by
 virtue  of  the  RISC  systems'  improved speed, or the increased graphics
 abilities of some systems, the ATW  has kept  a considerable  edge.  Also,
 while it  is well-rounded in many ways, several of its weaknesses, such as
 the amount of Mass Storage, stopped it from getting First Place.  In fact,
 only  its  decisive  win  against  the  IBM System ensured its First Place
 ranking.  The competition has gotten much rougher  for the  ATW, and while
 its advantages are many, it is not invincible.

       The ATW  has great  potential in the workstation market, as it could
 set a new level of price/performance  for many  profitable aspects  of the
 industry.   And its  superb showing against this Crop of workstation-class
 systems shows its strength in the workstation arena.  However, with such
 supercomputer-like speed, the ATW Dream System's ideal market could be the
 emerging  market  for  minisupercomputers,  or  systems that achieve speed
 slightly below that of true supercomputers, but with  a fraction  of their
 cost.   Given that  minisupercomputers with  capabilities equal to the ATW
 Dream System now cost from $250,000 to a million or more dollars,  the ATW
 could end up becoming a leader in the low-end part of that market....

       But ONLY  if Software Development for the ATW is supported strongly,
 and if Atari's efforts to make  the ATW  accepted as  a worldwide standard
 are MUCH  better than its previous efforts to make the Atari ST popular in
 the US.


       So as to account for future developments, I have included  a list of
 Upcoming  Dream  Systems,  so  accurate  comparisons  can  be made between
 present and future computers meeting the  "Dream System"  status.   In the
 past,  some  Systems  on  this  list  have merely been improvements on old
 systems, but these Dream Systems do not fall under that  category, and all
 show excellent potential....

 Upcoming Systems' Features:
 _________________________________________________________________________
 Dream     |Main Chips,|MainChip|Mass      |Expansion|Graphics Displays/  |
 System    |Megs of RAM|Speed   |Storage   |Slots    |Best Resolution(s)  |
 ----------|-----------|--------|----------|---------|--------------------|
 Atari     |68030/68882| 16 MHZ |  80 Meg  |  Five   |640*400*16 Colors   |
 TT030/6   |Six Megs   |        |Hard Drive|VME Bus  |1280*960 w/Monochr. |
 ----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+--------------------|
 Sun 3/80  |68030/68882| 20 MHZ | 650 Meg  |   One   |1152*900*16 Million |
 System    |  16 Megs  |        |Tape Drive| P4 Bus  |                    |
 ----------|-----------+--------+----------+---------+--------------------|
 Mega 4 ST |68030/68882| 16 MHZ | 650 Meg  |   One   |640*200 w/4 Colors  |
 System    |Four Megs  |        |Hard Drive|Mega Bus |1024*768 w/16 Colors|
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------'


 (Note:  Keep in mind that some of these specs are not final, and that the
 actual systems will probably differ in some way from the systems that are
 shown.)


 System #7,  the Atari TT030/6, has a 16 MHZ 68030 chip with a 16 MHZ 68882
 Math Chip, Six Megs of RAM and an 80 Megabyte Hard Drive  as  standard, as
 well as a VME Expansion Bus with five slots.  Also, I would include an NEC
 Multisync 4D Color Monitor ,and an Omniswitch, made by Talon Technologies,
 which interfaces  Multisync monitors  with Atari  STs.  Total System Cost:
 $6100 dollars.

 Resolutions:  320*200 with 256 Colors out of 4096
               640*400 with 16  Colors out of 4096
               1280*960 with Monochrome Resolution

       Comparisons with  Other  Systems:    Many  of  the  features  of the
 TT030/6, such  as speed  and amount of RAM, have already been surpassed by
 current  systems.    However,   while   its   graphics   capabilities  are
 comparatively  mediocre,  they  are  suitable  for its price range.  Given
 this, it seems that  the  68030  TT  will  make  its  niche  in  the price
 performance area  of the  market, in  which it  stands a  superb chance of
 success. But ONLY if one is able to easily replace  its 16  MHZ 68030 with
 20 and  25 MHZ processors, and if VME Board Manufacturers start supporting
 it.


 System #8, the Sun 3/80 System, is a Sun 3/80 with 8 Megs of RAM, a 20 MHZ
 68030 chip, a 20 MHZ 68882 Math Chip, and 1 expansion slot.  Added to this
 are Pinnacle Micro's 650 Meg Magneto-Optical Drive, and two Sun Memory
 Expansion Kits, with 4 Megs of RAM Each.  Cost: $25,500 dollars.

 Sun 3/80 Resolution:  1152*900 with 16 Million Colors at the same time.

       Comparisons with other Systems:  The Sun 3/80 System provides an
 advanced set of Dream System capabilities, including 24bit color graphics,
 a Magneto-Optical Drive, and large amounts of RAM.  While its speed isn't
 at the caliber of the current Dream Systems, the Sun 3/80 promises to be a
 VERY good contender in the low-end workstation area.  In fact, given that
 it seems to be more powerful overall than Sun's other offering, the
 SPARCstation....


 System #9,  the Mega 4 ST System, is a Mega 4 ST with 4 Megs of RAM  and 1
 Expansion Slot.  Added to this are FAST Technologies' upcoming 68030 board
 for the ST, which will use a 16 MHZ 68030,  and a  NEC Multisync  4D Color
 Monitor for  Image Systems'  Video Card  for the  Mega ST, with a 1024*768
 resolution, and a 16 MHZ 68882 math chip  to go  in the  Video Card's math
 chip  socket,  as  well  as  a  650  Meg Hard Drive recently introduced by
 Microvision Inc.  Also, I  would  include  an  Omniswitch,  made  by Talon
 Technologies,  which  interfaces  Multisync  monitors  with  all  Atari ST
 computers.  Total System Cost:  $8700.00 dollars.

 Mega ST Resolution:
                       320*200 with 16 Colors out of 512 
                       640*200 with 4 Colors out of 512 
                       640*400 with Monochrome Resolution 

 Image Systems' Board Resolution:  1024*768 with 16 Colors out of 4096 

       Comparisons with other Systems:  With  these extensions,  the Mega 4
 System gains capabilities worthy of many workstation-class systems, with a
 state of price/performance rivalling the  Amiga  3000  and  Atari TT030/6.
 Given that this type of power is available now for the Mega, it seems that
 the ST Userbase will have little to worry about in  the area  of good Mega
 ST Expansion Options in the future.

       However,  the   state  of  the  "Personal  Workstation"  Market,  as
 exemplified in the array of Dream Systems, has grown considerably in power
 over  the  past  several  months.    With competition for First Place more
 fierce than ever before, it seems that performance  alone may  not win the
 battle for  the Low-End  Workstation market.  With many new systems having
 leadership capability in the  vital  area  of  processing  ability, around
 which the  whole concept of RISC chips is based, low-end Workstations will
 have to find other advantages (such as graphics capabilities) in  order to
 become more popular in this industry....

       These Dream  Systems also  indicate certain future trends which will
 occur with microcomputers.  Megapixel displays (screens with  1024*1024 or
 better resolution),  will become  the main  targets in the graphics arena,
 while 8 - 24 bit color displays (showing  256 to  16 Million  colors) will
 quickly be  a necessity.  Also, with the advent of 4 Meg SIMM RAMs, 4 Megs
 of RAM will soon become standard fare.  However, this  Dream Systems essay
 seems to  indicate that  with the  68040 and  80486 matching  the speed of
 RISC-based  microprocessors,  the  "RISC  Wars"  (the  competition  in the
 computer industry  to establish  the dominant RISC chip standard) is about
 to get VERY interesting indeed.


 But ponder, if you will, these questions:

 1)  Will there be a number of 68030 products arriving for  Atari computers
     in the  near future,  and if  so, how  will this affect the Atari ST's
     popularity?

 2)  Given that an inexpensive 68040 system would not only be  more popular
     than  a  25  MHZ  68030  system, but could revolutionize the industry,
     should Atari concentrate on developing a  68040-based Atari  TT, or an
     Atari TT040, after they introduce the 68030 TT?


                              ---===**===---




 CPU STATUS REPORT
 ==================



 Mountain View, CA   Sun Microsystems and Eastman Kodak recently announced
 -----------------   an agreement in which Kodak's CESD (Customer Equipment
                     Service Division) will help boost Sun's customer
                     support for their Unix machines in some areas of the
                     US.  While Sun's Customer Support network will remain
                     intact, Kodak's CESD will double the number of "in the
                     field" technicians handling "on-site" maintenance and
                     repair for Sun workstations.  The Kodak CESD Group has
                     won the Datapro Award for Customer Service for nine
                     years, and is also experienced in the Unix field....

                     Designed to boost the efficiency of customer support,
                     this type of "on-site" service maintenance has become
                     an important selling point for ANY computer company
                     wishing to sell its systems to big businesses, let
                     alone trying to break into the Unix market.  Given
                     that both of the above markets would bring MUCH
                     prosperity to Atari if properly handled....




 Santa Cruz, CA      The Open Software Foundation has hired Marie Bruch, 
 --------------      former marketing director for UI (Unix International,
                     a consortium of computer companies who back AT&T's
                     version of Unix instead of the OSF's plans). It seems
                     seems that a major reason for her leaving UI was a
                     shaky fiscal situation for Unix development at AT&T.

                     Also, the Santa Cruz Operation is now shipping Open
                     Desktop, a Graphical User Interface for SCO Xenix/386
                     which is based on an X/Windows implementation of the
                     OSF Motif GUI.  Out for 80386/80486-based systems,
                     Open Desktop comes with SCO Unix Release V.3, a
                     bestselling version of AT&T Unix, which was licensed
                     to Microsoft before as Xenix.  Cost: $1000.00....

                     Several major software programs, including spreadsheet
                     (Wingz), workstation desktop publishing (Framemaker),
                     and CAD/CAM software will soon be available for Open
                     Desktop.  Also, given that 1100 software developers
                     have committed to making Unix software which supports
                     Open Desktop, SCO's acceptance of OSF Motif may give
                     the OSF's efforts an invaluable boost....




 Tokyo, Japan        Cray Research has now extended its lead in the
 ------------        supercomputer industry in Japan, through a series of
                     sales to the Japanese automobile industry.  Several
                     Japanese car makers, including Toyota, Nissan, Honda,
                     and Mitsubishi, have bought Cray supercomputers, and
                     recently, Daihatsu bought a Cray Y-MP capable of
                     running at 500 million floating point operations per
                     second (MFLOPS).  Interestingly enough, other American
                     technology firms, such as Motorola, are also achieving
                     success in cracking the Japanese market....




 Holmdel, NJ        AT&T's Bell Labs has recently shown an experimental
 -----------        prototype known as an "optical computer".  In ordinary
                    computers, computing is performed by transistors, which
                    manipulate the flow of electricity along certain "logic
                    gates", which perform mathematical operations.

                    In this method, bursts of low-intensity lasers are
                    directed towards crystals which act as switches.  One
                    burst of light would cause a physical change in the
                    crystal, so it either reflects or absorbs light.  A
                    series of these "on/off" switches can then be
                    coordinated into logic gates, performing mathematical
                    operations.  AT&T has said that it could take hundreds
                    of millions of dollars to fully develop this new
                    technology so it is usable by microcomputers....

                    The applications for this new technology are enormous
                    in the computing field.  Using optical computing will
                    allow much faster computer circuitry which can be made
                    much smaller than electronic circuitry.  Also, since an
                    optical computer would need far less power to function
                    than a normal machine (and generate a lot less heat),
                    optical circuitry can be fitted more closely together,
                    in order to implement more sophisticated and compact
                    circuitry.  There WILL be more on this next week....







       _____________________________________________________________



 > WORD FLAIR CO CPU/STR OnLine  Good stuff!
  
   ============================




 =========================================================================
 (C) 1989  by Atari  Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari Roundtables.  May be
 reprinted only with this notice intact.   The  Atari Roundtables  on GEnie
 are    *official*    information    services    of    Atari   Corporation.
 =========================================================================

 February 9, 1990

                          <[Sysop] JEFF.W>
 On behalf of the Atari ST Roundtable, I welcome all of you to  the 
 Wordflair RealTime Conference on GEnie. Before getting started, 
 some business about how an RTC works.

 While the RTC room is in Listen-Only mode, you can only address 
 our guests when I let you talk.  To get my attention, just /RAIse 
 your hand. Just enter this from your keyboard: /rai 

 I'll acknowledge your raised hand as soon as I can, but please  
 be patient.  I -WILL- let you know when your turn is coming up. 

 Some other RTC commands are: 
      ?     -  Lists all RTC commands. 
      /sta  -  Status (list) of everyone in the RTC room. 
      /exi  -  Exit the RTC, but you remain logged onto GEnie. 
      /bye  -  Log off of GEnie directly from the RTC. 
      /rai  -  Raise your hand.  Lets me know you wish to address 
               our guest. 

 And now, let's commence with the Wordflair RTC. 

 On the ST platform, there are word processors, databases,  
 spreadsheets, and graphing programs. But there has been no single 
 product that integrates many of  the functions from these 
 applications into a single package. But our guests for this 
 evening have done something about that.  Recently, Wordflair was 
 released for the Atari ST platform and our guests are here to 
 tell us about it and answer your questions! 

 With us tonight is the Chairman of Blue Chip International,  
 Lauren Flanegan-Sellers. With her are John Fox and Robert Roll of 
 Blue C hip International's publishing arm, Goldleaf. 

 Welcome, Lauren, John, and Robert. Thank you for taking the  time 
 to be with us this evening!  Do you have any opening remarks you'd 
 like to make before we  open the floor to questions? 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 Howdy! Thank you GEnie, Jeff et al for inviting us to participate 
 in this conference. This is the first time we have been part of an 
 on-line conference so we're looking forward to the new experience. 
 We're very pleased about the enthusiastic response Wordflair has 
 received, and committed to making it the best document processor 
 on any platform. So ask away, give suggestions, dream, 
 whatever...We'll do our best to make the time worthwhile for all. 

                          <[Sysop] JEFF.W>
 Thank you Lauren. 

 Wordflair is quite a unique application. I'm not aware of  
 anything quite like it on any other computer platform. Please tell 
 us how you came to develop Wordflair for the Atari ST. 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 We believe in the Atari computer family and think that there is 
 still an opportunity to capture market share in the small and  
 home business market. 

 We will of course support other platforms. 

                      <[Charles] C.F.JOHNSON>
 Hi Lauren, John, and Robert.  First off, Wordflair is one terrific 
 program, and I'm really enjoying working with it!  One slight 
 downside I'm experiencing right now is that there seems to be no 
 way to use UltraScript with WF.  Is that in the plans, or is there 
 a way right now that I  haven't found? 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 Hi, Charles.  Thanks for the great lead-in.  Yes we plan on  
 supporting Ultrascript, but do not have a firm ship date 
 yet...coding  has begun but not yet stable enough to predict. 

                      <[Charles] C.F.JOHNSON>
 Do you plan to support the UltraScript display module? 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 If you mean will it be accessible from within WF, yes.

                      <[Charles] C.F.JOHNSON>
 Actually, I'm talking about a module that I believe US is offering 
 to developers that allows Postscript fonts  to be displayed on 
 screen, scaled from the original data. 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 I'll have to get back to you on that one. Sounds like a  good idea 
 though.

                      <[Charles] C.F.JOHNSON>
 OK, thanks, and best of luck with Wordflair! 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 Thanks Charles. We're pleased to be able to offer G+Flair with 
 WF.

                          <[Sysop] JEFF.W>
 Lauren, perhaps it would be a good idea if you describe  
 Wordflair, just in case a few of our guests haven't gotten the 
 word yet. 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 Wordflair is a document processor combining word processing, 
 graphics such as GEM Metafiles and .IMG files, a simple flat file  
 database, a fully imbedded financial calculator that can be 
 dynamically  linked to the database and the included graphing 
 program, and page layout tools,  all in one easy to use program. 
 The design is unified rather than integrated which means that all 
 of these tools are available at any  time from within the word 
 processor at the click of a mouse or keyboard command.

 The idea for WF originated when I had a prototype of the Macintosh 
 and was using MacWrite, MacDraw and my calculator next to my Mac 
 for proposals.  I wanted to integrate these multiple functions in 
 one program so that I could create forms, proposals, and general 
 business  "boilerplate docs."  And so the great software design 
 game began...again...  WF is actually about the 10th program I 
 have designed/written.

                          <[Sysop] JEFF.W>
 Thanks. 

                         <[Garcon] G.BABIN>
 First, thanks for the update to Wordflair. It's encouraging  to 
 see that level of support! My questions concern fonts and the  
 graphing feature. 

 Why is there a limit to the number of fonts that can be  loaded 
 and can you remove this limit? 

 Regarding the graph feature, being restricted to eight data  
 entries makes this otherwise excellent feature practically 
 useless!  Twelve entries would be a vast improvement. I also would 
 like to see overlayed bar graphs with double data sets to really 
 make WF a major league application (pretty please, with sugar on 
 top!). 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 We plan on adding a number of features to the graphing  utility 
 and adding fonts. In the next version of WF, there will be no 
 limit  to fonts.  You will be able to access them through a 
 dialogue and see the  resultant output.  I remember giving you a 
 demo at COMDEX in Vegas, I believe. Is that right? 

                         <[Garcon] G.BABIN>
 Yes, great memory! 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 Thank you for supporting WF. Please count on us to keep  adding to 
 the product software development is an evolution of ideas. It is  
 never done. You have to hold down new ideas at some point or you 
 never get the  thing out.  But just at the moment you are ready to 
 release it, you think  of the 10 essential things that you left 
 out. Please keep up the suggestions  and ideas. We learn best from 
 our users. You never can imagine how some  people might use the 
 product. Nothing intended toward you, of course,  Garcon! 

                        <[Rick] GERDSENDER>
 Hi, this is Rick Flashman.  I haven't used WordFlair yet (hint, 
 hint), but I was wondering where the whole thesaurus & dictionary  
 issue is headed? Will we see one soon? 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 Geez Rick, I thought we sent you out a review copy. The  good news 
 for us at least is that we sold out our initial manufacturing run  
 and really don't have anymore product until Feb. 15th. So some of 
 the  freebies have had.. to wait. I'll check on what might have 
 happened to yours.  <Sheepish grin>

                        <[Rick] GERDSENDER>
 (Haven't gotten it yet...) 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 Regarding the Spellchecker,thesaurus, hyphenation  dictionary, 
 etc., we are working on it. We are evaluating several sources.  
 Currently leaning toward the Proximity offering. When we 
 complete our evaluation and get a prototype with the code 
 integrated, we'll announce a ship date.  Seriously, no vaporware 
 here folks. In the meantime, you can use Thunder.

                        <[Rick] GERDSENDER>
 Sounds good!  Write it first, announce it later. <grin> 

                           <D.A.BRUMLEVE>
 I recently began a small business and do not yet have a database 
 program. I'm sorry that I haven't had a chance to see the demo, 
 but it sounds like it might meet my needs.

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 The demo can be downloaded from GEnie.  The database is quite 
 limited. It's main benefit is that  it is very easy to use.  We're 
 working now on a utility to import any comma  delimited format, so 
 for example you could have imported the database info that Atari 
 sent developers.

                           <D.A.BRUMLEVE>
 Can I search on 8 fields?  Or is search more limited? 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 There is no limit except RAM as to how many fields (we call them 
 regions) that can be searched. You just perform consecutive sorts. 

                           <D.A.BRUMLEVE>
 Could you explain the "unified" thing versus "integrated" a bit? 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 I'd love to wax philosophic and explain the whole unified vs 
 integrated thing, but are people really interested? 

                           <D.A.BRUMLEVE>
 Well, _I_ am.  And it's my turn. 

                        <[Lauren] WORDFLAIR>
 OK... great..! 

 The whole idea behind "unified software" which is a phrase, I 
 admit that I coined, is that you have one set of menus, and one 
 interface to learn thus enhancing the learnablity and ease of 
 use. In my great fantasy, you will be able to click on any region 
 within WF, and import, manipulate or otherwise access a virtual 
 cornucopia of data types, i.e. voice, data, text, all graphic 
 types, all at the  highest display, and all without ever leaving 
 the word processing...

 [Sysop Note:  A line problem broke the connection with Lauren at 
 this point.  A few minutes later, Lauren rejoined the conference 
 and the conversation continues...]

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 The word processing metaphor or text metaphor, is what most of us  
 are used to communicating with.  So if you can access all the  
 other forms of visual and audio communication that you might want 
 to invoke within the text metaphor, now that's what unified 
 software design is all about.  Wordflair, in its current 
 incarnation is just a first draft of my fantasy.

 Dorothy, the kids you are aiming for might be interested in trying  
 WF.  It is a little sophisticated perhaps but might be of 
 interest.  I'd like to see your KidPublisher Pro.  Wanna swap? 

                           <D.A.BRUMLEVE>
 Sure.  Even trade, I'm sure. 

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 Ok, deal.

                     <[Vince-Cubed] V.AVERELLO>
 How does WF's handling of graphics compare to that of WordUp 
 (which seems to be your main competitor) ? 

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 The graphics import capability of Wordflair and WordUp are fairly 
 similar, I believe.  We are preparing a competitive analysis for 
 WF and all the leading WP's/document processors and will post it 
 on Genie so soon. Dan Fruchey of STart has just completed his 
 survey, and we  came out on top, I believe. Look for his analysis 
 in the STart review of WP's.

 <[Sysop] JEFF.W> Do you know what issue Dan's article 
 will be in? 

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 I think it is in the May issue.

                     <[Vince-Cubed] V.AVERELLO>
 Does the image look the same in WF as it did in the editor that 
 created it ?

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 The image can be imported to any dimension.

                     <[Vince-Cubed] V.AVERELLO>
 But can it be imported with its original dimensions intact?

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 WF can import an image to any scale.  If you want to keep the  
 original's dimensions intact, then set the grid and scale the 
 graphic region to the original graphics dimensions.  In the next 
 version, we will offer an option of keeping the original 
 dimensions intact.  But you see, you may want the flexibility of 
 changing the dimensions before importing. So you will  have a 
 choice.

                         <[dplotkin] ANTIC> 
 Hi, Lauren.  The ability of Wordflair to generate camera ready 
 copy is a real plus.  Any word on supporting generation of table 
 of contents or index? 

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 Hi Dave!  Glad you're here.  Glad all of you are here.

 We are working on a version of WF that is currently called WF  
 Professional.  We plan on making it the most powerful document 
 processor available on any platform. Nuff said for now.

                         <[dplotkin] ANTIC>
 Sounds like a heck of a reason to send in your registration card. 
 Thanks.

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 That's right.  We'll be offering very attractive upgrade prices to 
 registered users.  We want to support those of you who have 
 supportted us from the beginning.

                         <[dplotkin] ANTIC>
 Lauren, I'm curious.  Have you gotten a good reception?  Sold a 
 few copies?

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 We have had a very good reception.  We plan on helping dealers 
 sell more through an active dealer support campaign.  We have just 
 sent out 500 demos to all the dealers we have on file, and are 
 planning a number of promotional campaigns. We believe that WF is 
 ideally suited to go out with each new 1 meg system or better 
 sold.

                          <[Sysop] JEFF.W>
 I'd must say that you did an extremely classy thing with 
 Wordflair.  Not only did you license Atari's GDOS, but you also 
 licensed a special version of G+PLUS from CodeHead Software. Thank 
 you very much!  It may be obvious to many of us, but why exactly 
 did you do this?

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 We think that G+Plus is a fine product and offers some  
 significant speed improvements. However, once the new GDOS with 
 scalable fonts is out, those of you who have trashed GDOS may want 
 to reconsider.  It will offer a very fast alternative. I'm sure 
 that CodeHead will find a way to enhance its performance even 
 more. <grin> 

                          <[Sysop] JEFF.W> 
 Knowing the CodeHeads, I'm sure they will!

                       <[Informal] DAVESMALL>
 On a philosophical note, I've noticed that it's easier for me to 
 write on monitors that show more of the page when I write on a 
 TRS-100, w/8 line display, the writing gets fragmented into little 
 paragraph chunks, and the thought train is lost.  80 x 25, I've 
 used and a Moniterm full page is far better...something  about 
 looking up the preceding paragraphs and keeping a train of thought 
 together.  I'm curious if you've seen this, and if there's much 
 call for larger monitors...if it's something like, "the larger the 
 man/machine interface, the better".  I  figger a word processor 
 person would be good to ask. :-) (or woman/machine -- I use it 
 generically). 

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 Great question.  First of all, Wordflair works with the Moniterm 
 and is not device dependent so it should work with all larger 
 monitors.  And absolutely, I am a big picture gal myself.  The 
 wider the view the better the solution.

                       <[Informal] DAVESMALL> 
 Have you run into this yourself when writing? 

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 Yes. I like to have the maximum display possible. Instead of  
 writing lots of linked nuggets, I can get more of a "stream of 
 consciousness" style, which in the long run is really more 
 powerful because it is more intuitive--you know, right brain and 
 all that California stuff....<grin>

                       <[Informal] DAVESMALL>
 "Linked nuggets" describes the situation perfectly on an 8-line 
 monitor.  Okay, how's about this, just for fun:

 We take an Atari hi-res monitor, turn it on its side, and produce 
 a screen that's far more writer oriented. We get the CodeHead 
 people to write a driver (grin) to let the words lie on their side 
 and a smaller font.  Much space is wasted on right half of screen; 
 it could  be used to give, say, 40-60 lines of text. 640 x 400 
 ratio. Be an interesting hack, wouldn't it?  (I might have to  
 volunteer) 

 Ah, the peanut gallery tells me this has been done in Germany. Can 
 I get it?

                          <[Sysop] JEFF.W>
 2nd Word is the name of the product, I believe.

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 Right on brother.  Look out Radius!

                       <[Informal] DAVESMALL>
 Lauren, are you going to CeBIT for Europe in March? 

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 I didn't know this was going to be such an intense rush of an  
 experience.

                          <[Sysop] JEFF.W>
 Ha ha 

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 I will be in Europe in early March seeking international 
 distributors so will drop in but am not exhibiting. Are you 
 going? 

                       <[Informal] DAVESMALL> 
 Am considering it; don't know enough yet to tell if we still can 
 get reservations, etc, exhibit in the booth. 

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 See if Francis at Clavius can help.

                       <[Informal] DAVESMALL>
 Welp, that wraps me up; other people waiting. Thanks, Lauren, and 
 good luck with your product! 

                            <WORDFLAIR> 
 Thank you DAVE. ALWAYS a pleasure to talk to you.

                          <[Sysop] JEFF.W>
 A friend of mine, Bob Carpenter, bought Wordflair and he *loves* 
 it.  However, he laments the lack of keyboard equivalents for  
 functions like bold, underlining, and italics.  Are these planned 
 for an upcoming revision of Wordflair? And can you tell us about 
 any other enhancements in the works? 

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 Yes, keyboard equivalents for EVERYTHING are in the works. Also, 
 improved speed of .IMG file imports, the spellchecker, etc that 
 I have  discussed earlier.

                      <[Charles] C.F.JOHNSON>
 By the way, Lauren, I also wanted to say "Thanks" for the very 
 quick fix for the "open workstation" problem we reported. The new 
 version works perfectly in that respect now.  It's nice to see the 
 publisher of a large application like Wordflair respond to a 
 problem report in real time.  <grin>

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 Thanks for the report, Charles.  WE did our best to insure that WF  
 shipped free of bugs.  You know the saying about the best laid 
 plans of mice and men.  But you can count on us to fix bugs in a 
 timely manner.  Thank God or the Goddess as you prefer that is the 
 only bug reported so far.

                      <[Charles] C.F.JOHNSON>
 I've been using a Moniterm lately (LOVE IT), and I noticed that on 
 the Moniterm, Wordflair doesn't let you change the page 
 magnification.  You always get the full page view and I couldn't 
 see a way to zoom in on things. Am I missing it? 

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 No Charles. In my somewhat limited imagination, I did not think of  
 big monitors initially, so we need to incorporate a zoom function 
 at a variety of aspects.  We're working on it.

                      <[Charles] C.F.JOHNSON>
 Ah! OK, it's no biggie...the full page display is very useable as 
 is. But a zoom function would be nice  for closeup work, like 
 aligning rules, etc.

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 Thank you, everyone.  And thank you for your support of Wordflair! 

                          <[Sysop] JEFF.W>
 That about wraps up the Wordflair Realtime Conference.  Before we 
 switch to "frenzy mode", do you have any closing comments, Lauren? 

                            <WORDFLAIR>
 Yes, Jeff.  Let me just say that we are very pleased to be a part 
 of this Atari community and are dedicated to helping to sell 
 Atari's and to working in harmony with other developers to meet 
 the needs of our users. 

                          <[Sysop] JEFF.W>
 I might remind folks that Lauren provides online support for  
 Wordflair in the Atari ST Roundtable's Bulletin Board.  You can 
 find her in Category 13 ("Word Processing"), Topic 11 
 ("Wordflair").

 Hmmm...Wordflair actually defies the classifications of our 
 current Category structure in the BB. But it's gotta go somewhere! 
 <smile>

 Also, for those of you who haven't checked it out yet, you 
 can  find a demo version of Wordflair in the ST RT's Software 
 Library.  It is WF.ARC, file #13769.  It's a full implementation 
 with the exception of the print and save operations. Many thanks 
 to our guests: Lauren Flanegan-Sellers, John Fox,  and Robert 
 Roll. And many thanks to all the ST RT members who attended this  
 evening. Good night.


 Future Conferences Scheduled......
  
    February ?  -  I'm talking with Eric Rosenquist of Strata Software 
                   about doing an RTC -sometime- in February.  I've 
                   opened the calendar to him and I'm awaiting a date 
                   confirmation from him.  I'll let you know when 
                   this gets locked down. 
  
    March 7     -  What started out as an ISD conference with Nathan 
                   Potechin (to discuss new Calamus products Outline 
                   and the CVG Converter) has turned into a hybrid 
                   of DTP and Atari-down-under.  Nathan will be 
                   beaming into the RTC from Australia along with 
                   a gang of personnel from Atari Australia. 
  
    March 21    -  Dorothy Brumleve, of D.A. Brumleve Software, will 
                   be our guest to discuss her line of children's 
                   programs on the ST, highlighting her latest 
                   release. 
  
 Please note also  that  these  schedules  are  subject  to  change without
 notice, although  I will  keep you informed of changes as they occur.  And
 the schedule is not all-inclusive.   Additional RTC's  may very  likely be
 scheduled with  little advance  warning, so one should keep their eyes and
 ears open and follow Category 1, Topic 11  for the  latest developments in
 the RTC schedule. 
  





       _____________________________________________________________





 > USERGROUP NEWS CPU/STR InfoFile   Brodie on the Road.....
   ===============================


                                             ON THE ROAD AGAIN
                                             =================


 Bob  Brodie  Atari  Usergroup  Co-Ordinator,  will appear at the following
 locations ....time and date specified....

 February 10, 1990   
 Redding Atari Computer Enthusiasts  7PM, Sat.  night. Please  contact Mike
 Farrar, President of R.A.C.E. at 916-243-5189.

 February 15, 1990
 ST  ACE  of  Sonoma  County,  7PM  Thursday  evening  Please  contact John
 Marakarian,  President  of  ST  ACE   at   707-573-0508   or   GEnie  mail
 J.Marakarian.

 February 17, 1990
 MacTechnics, a Mac users group on the campus of the University of Michigan
 in Ann Arbor. Meeting starts at 9:00AM, my presentation will  start around
 11:00AM. Contact Pattie Rayl for directions, 313-973-8825 or
 GEnie Mail Unicornpub.

 February 18, 1990
 Washtenaw Users  Group.  Meeting is to be held from 1-3PM, in the Anderson
 Room of  the Student  Union at  the University  of Michigan  in Ann Arbor.
 Contact Pattie  Rayl, or  check current issue of  Atari Interface Magazine
 Editorial Ramblings for directions.

 February 19, 1990
 ST Interest Group of West  Michigan  (STING)  in  Grand  Rapids, Michigan.
 Contact Ron Shultheiss at Software Carousel, phone 616-361-1381

 Febraury 20, 1990
 Michigan  Atari   Computer  Enthusiasts   (MACE).  Contact  Ed  Hanson  at
 313-675-0044 or GEnie Mail E.Hanson.


 February 26, 1990
 A "Private Online Conference" with Syracuse Atari Computer Enthusiasts and
 a Meeting  to be  held at the Liverpool Public Library, send GEnie Mail to
 LEN-F, or call Fred Dunaway at 315-675-0044.

     That pretty well settles February.  Now that  I have  diligently typed
 all this  in, I recognize that I need to be a little more definitive about
 where these groups are located.   More accurately,  Redding is  in the far
 northern end  of California,  about 4 hours north of San Francisco.  Santa
 Rosa is about two hours north of San Francisco.  I am tempted to  say that
 Ann Arbor  is about  three hours east of here, but that would be cheating,
 so check with the Michigan crew on the  location of  the meeting(s) there.
 Syracuse is in Western New York.  AS March gets firmed up, I'll let you in
 on the where and whens!  Bob...




            ___________________________________________________






 > PCD 2  ARGH! CPU/STR OnLine    Atari to blame??
   ===========================



     Below, we once again present the various experiences of folks who have
 received their  long awaited  PCD2 pcbs.  Their respective experiences are
 here for all to see....

     How depressing to find that Atari  is being  blamed both  directly and
 indirectly by  AG for  this dilemma they find themselves in.  We say, they
 should have had better beta  testing  and  been  more  realistic  in their
 research and  development, the  board size is far too big to be practical.
 Atari was first blamed for not sending schematics and now we see where the
 speed of  the ram  chips is  being blamed,  it seems the old expression of
 "Any old port in a storm" fits rather well here.  Atari is not to blame in
 this case,  the culprit  is really lack of hardware development experience
 and the reluctance to listen to the advice  of those  with the experience.
 Oh well, live and learn....


 S.CIPRIS, posts;
  
     I decided  not to  be a part of the crowd that appears to idolize Bill
 Teal, and swears that  he can  do no  wrong. I  asked for  a refund  of my
 money sent  in for  this product.  You see  Bill did a great deal of wrong
 things. 

     Firstly, he advertised a product that would install  into all machines
 with no problem and no soldering, YEAH Right! 

     Secondly, he  began to  send out  units that  were not working, and is
 still sending out units that are not working. 

     Lastly, he is sending   out  units that  are missing  masnuals, disks,
 etc. Of,  course let us not forget the fact that these units are too large
 to even fit into the computers without a major hack job.  

     These are not at all like the units  that were  advertised oh  so long
 ago. You  cannot pass  the buck.  The fault is not in the suppliers, board
 manufacturers , packers or anyone else for that matter.  The fault is with
 Mr. Teal.  He is  ultimately responsible. I hate to appear to be so harsh,
 but I never have seen such bad marketing practices as this.  The fact that
 you cannot get through to Avant-Garde is a terrible truth.  

     We are  lucky to be part of the telecommunications set, but what about
 all of the purchasers without modems. They are sitting in the dark  with a
 non-working, non-fitting piece of junk. They have no support or reasonable
 explanations from Mr. Teal.  I am sure  that eventually  this will  all be
 straightened out,  and I  wish the  Teals all  the luck  in the world with
 their future endeavors.  At this time I left E-Mail to AG on 1/29/90 and I
 also sent  them a  registered letter  on 1/31/90 asking for my refund.  So
 far no word but I am waiting and will keep you posted.   By  the way, does
 anyone besides myself remember the Edsel?  Good luck to all!  Apologies if
 I appeared too harsh!

  ------------


 J.ALLEN27, posts;
  
 Hi folks,

     I talked to Bill today. He has found  the bug.  It will  require a PAL
 chip update  so he  will have to send each of us a PAL and have us swap it
 for the one on the board.

     The bug, if it weren't so  painful for  us, is  actually pretty funny.
 When the  "IBM PROCESSOR"...to avoid confusion...talks to the I/O chips on
 the motherboard it uses some of the same 68000 control signals that run to
 the motherboard.  The one  in question is DTACK, in a 68000 system this is
 the input that tells  the processor  that the  data...from what  ever.. is
 ready and the cycle should be completed. So when CPU #2 is talking to it's
 own chips it issues DTACKs on the DTACK  line. Ordinarily  this  shouldn't
 be a problem BUT:

     On PCDII,  since the IBM chip can only address 1 Meg of memory all the
 addresses seen by the  motherboard are...until  EMS...are in  the 1st Meg.
 The motherboard  perceives this  as being  mapped into RAM. Well Bill does
 mask off AS and other control lines  but  DTACK  is  supposed  to  be this
 signal that all devices can daisy chain to and so he didn't. Accessing the
 I/O devices...which to the motherboard LOOK like ram  accesses...he issues
 DTACK  which  then  feeds  the  generic  RDY response mechinism to the IBM
 processor. RDY is the DTACK equivalent for IBM  stuff. Since  the MMU sees
 that a  RAM address is being addressed...although no AS or other lines are
 true...and it sees the DTACK go true it responds in some way that we can't
 really know  because what  happens occurs  INSIDE the MMU. IF...and it's a
 BIG IF...the MMU is doing RAM  refresh at  the same  time that  this DTACK
 happens the  whole refresh cycle goes bonkers.  It ends up trashing a word
 on each 512 byte boundry through the entire ram array. It literally writes
 over or  currupts the  data in  memory. This  is not ACTUALLY a ram access
 because AS and UDS/LDS are not  active and  so nobody  is actually  on the
 bus. And  yet the  MMU chip  THINKS something is happening and looses it's
 mind in refresh. Ordinarily in a RAM access the MMU is the source of DTACK
 and it  is put out only when the MMU chip has actually read or written the
 rams and the data is on  the 68000  bus. Somehow  having the  DTACK driven
 while the  address bus  points to  ram and  refresh is going on has a very
 nasty affect on the MMU. The data  that  gets  trashed  is  of  course the
 actual PCDII  program and  anything else in ram. So BANG!!!! The next time
 either processor runs the program. This is whats happening. One of the I/O
 chips is  the interupt  controller, that is why blocking interupts stopped
 the problem and why we thought it might just be  how interupts  were being
 handled.   Nop it  was just a related item the real culpit was hitting the
 MMU the wrong way.

    The neat thing about this is that it is all  a little  timing window of
 hitting the  MMU at  just the  right time  with an I/O access happening in
 parrallel with refresh. Some  MMUs and  systems are  affected, some aren't
 and that's  why some  work. When the new PAL is put in it will block DTACK
 going to the motherboard  and that  clears up  the problem.  If I  had not
 buffered DTACK...and  I didn't  really have to, I thought...T16 would have
 hit EXACTLY the same bug because cache accesses can be  percieved the same
 way and  occur in  parrallel with  MMU refresh  too....VERY SCARY!!!!! The
 only two devices ever put inside an ST that could  possibly run  into this
 situation are  PCDII and  T16, that's  why nobody ever found it before. As
 usual a 3rd party product has pushed the envelope right over the edge.

    I hope my explaination is understandable, I know it is  technical but I
 don't know how to put it simpler. I have no idea when the fix will be sent
 out, he'll have to go get pals made asap and send them out, at  least they
 can be  put in  foam and  into envelopes to go 1st class mail to everyone.
 Hope that helps, I am AMAZED.

  ------------

 Category 19,  Topic 2
 Message 472       Tue Feb 06, 1990
 LEPULLEY                     at 23:29 MST
  
  Jim,

 I'm one of those people that are lucky to turn on their  computers without
 electrocuting myself,  so you'll have  to excuse  me if my question sounds
 stupid (after your extensive explaination), but with the  new PAL  will PC
 Ditto II now work with the Blitter (i.e Megas)?   Also, what is Bill going
 to do about  all of the boards  that  are  too  large  to  fit  inside the
 computer (without extensive cutting)?

  ------------


 M.GENT, posts;
  
    Jim, thats  great -  BUT -  I am  on of the few that when the PC-DITTO2
 board is installed correctly, the ST locks up  upon POWER  UP.   Will this
 mod going  to help  me?   Maybe I  can send  my system down to Bill for an
 exchange of on of his?  He certainly would get a good  cross-references of
 STs.   My board  is C070523-001  REV D. manuf. in 03 of 87.  The CPU is by
 the disk drive, memory under the keboard, ROM under the power supply , and
 a DITTO  board in  the closet;-).   My dealer and I have  replaced most of
 the custum chips, but no go.  Can't  understand it  because, there  are no
 hardware upgrades  inside.  And with my Supra 30 or not it still locks up.
 Oh, this pup is a fm.  But I take  the wait  and see  method.   <agony and
 torment on the tension :->

  ------------


 DOUG.W, posts;
  
 M.Gent, it is quite possible you have a truly defective board.  Even after
 the PAL upgrade, there are bound to be a few defects (damaged in the mail,
 damaged during installation, static zapped during packaging, etc.).

 --Doug

  ------------


 E.BURGESS, posts;
  
 Any idea how long we'll have to wait for this chip now? and I notice 1 guy
 said he got it to run with dos 3.3 on a rev D mother  board ,  now another
 guy with  rev D says it locks up and  that 2.1 works. Sigh I only have 3.2
 and that wont work,now I'm pestering every one I know  to find  me another
 dos to try. I hope to have one in a few days.

  ------------


 DAVESMALL, posts;
  
 Whew! I'm glad he found it!

 That is  one cast-iron bi*** of a bug. No wonder it took so long. Accounts
 for the symptoms, too!

 You know, I think the reason  you're not  seeing other  developers jumping
 on Bill is that Bill is presently going through what we fear every time we
 ship a product. Particularly  in  the  Atari  world,  where  every  run of
 machines seems  different (blitter,  373, RAMs,  GLUE, MMU, etc), it seems
 like  *someone* has a machine that'll fail. 

 So you prepare your baby as best you can, make  it wear  its best clothes,
 and send  it off to school. For Bill, the Principal called to let him know
 his baby was not working out.

 It could have happened to me or  Jim;  to  some  extent  it  did  (the 373
 thing, the  Blitter thing with Jim, the GTS-100 drives for me, and so on).
 We got lucky in the bigger distribution, Bill didn't.

 You're sure not going to find me criticizing. I've put out a  product with
 the size  staff you  can afford in the Atari world if you want to  survive
 (the past is littered with people who didn't think so).  It means  18 hour
 days and nonstop stress until *you* find the bug. Every time we send out a
 release,  I  sweat  it  --  what  if  I   reformat  people's   hard  disks
 accidentally?  What if data is corrupted? And so on.  We *all* do that.

 Yes, you're  "beta" testers,  although that's not the word you're  looking
 for.  Simply put, there is NO  way  to  test  a  product  en  masse before
 shipment.   Every software/hardware developer has been burned on its first
 shipment, which this is  for PCDII,  from viruses  to bugs  to... to where
 "indsutry wisdom"  is even  don't buy the 1.0 version, wait for 1.5 or 2.0
 (this is from the *IBM* world).

 In short, when I read notes about Bill being the  devil because  he used a
 PAL with "666" on it (well, almost that bad), I think, sheesh. He just got
 a little unluckier than most.

 And funny  how these  same people  forgot instantly  how much  good he did
 with PC-DITTO I, and how well it worked. Short memories. 

 We  have  five  Beta  testers  at  Gadgets  who  have saved my cookies and
 reputation innumerable time, who test software. Yes, they get the new ones
 free.   That probably  amounts to $1/hr pay in the long run. Gadgets'  rep
 for reliability would be in poor shape without them.

 Anyway, if I know Bill and Ginny,  they'll  get  this  PAL  fix  out there
 fast, apologize,  and I'll bet (I don't know) they'll scale the board down
 for 520 fit -- SIMM maybe?  I don't  know. But  you don't  succeed in this
 business by not filling a demand.

  And thanks, Jim, for the update!

  -- Dave / Gadgets

  ------------


 BOOJIBOY, posts;
  
 One thing  that really  hasn't been  confirmed, particularly for me and my
 Mega ST2.  May we assume that if you get to the screen that says place dos
 disk in  drive A,  that the board has been installed correctly, even if it
 crashes at that point? And to Dave Small, I am  one of  those poor schleps
 whose Mega  ST2 can't  write to a Mac Disk using GCR (I am sure Mark Booth
 has mentioned me more than once.)  But I still like your product.  If only
 I could  find someone local who sells 74AS373's, that would probably solve
 my problem.

  ------------


 J.ALLEN27, posts;
  
 From what we know now the only way to be sure to add memory to your system
 AND have  it fit  with PCDII  is to  have the  chips soldered to the board
 rather than buying a ram upgrade  board. Several  dealers do  this kind of
 thing and  the ones I've seen are works of art...especially a 4Meg upgrade
 to a 1040 :-)

 The PALs are socketed and anyone can plug it in so it  shouldn't cost much
 more than the time to do it.

 If the  SW asks for the DOS disk then the board did pass diagnostics...the
 ones that "were" going to be included on the disk. They are built into the
 program instead...I guess the docs fell behind the facts.

 You said a mouthful Dave.


  ------------


 M.FINTAK, posts;
  
 ADVANTGARDE

 ALL INTERESTED

  I 've  received PC  DITTO II,  and attempted  installation several if not
 many, many,  times.   I 've  bent to  pins on  the chip  clip, tweeked the
 contacts and  still get  the PC  DITTO II not installed properly message. 
 I've the version c chip clip and board.  On the chip clip board  I NOTICED
 THAT THE FEED THRU HOLES ARE NOT FILLED WITH SOLDER.  Is this the "norm"??
 Or maybe I' ve a bad set of ribbon cables.   At this point, I 'ld be happy
 just to "crash" at loading DOS.  HELP!

  MICHAEL FINTAK

  ------------

 J.ALLEN27, posts;
  
 I'm at your service as always John!!!

 No solution  to the  clock situation yet except to use the SW available in
 the library to control the "fast" mode with SW during bootup. Use  the OFF
 program just  before the  clock.prg and then the ON program afterwards. To
 use the SW you must connect the SWITCH input of the T16  to PIN  14 of the
 yamaha sound  chip. You  can have both HW and SW by runningthe switch wire
 from the T16 to the switch...SPST...and then from the switch  to the sound
 chip PIN  14. The OS automatically turns the T16 on, the SW then gives you
 control in the auto folder and from the  desktop. In  situations where you
 use autobooting games either use the HW switch or Dan Wilga has uploaded a
 program that will put a T16 OFF rpogram into the  boot sector  of the Game
 floppy to kill the T16 before running the game.

 I've been  asked to  re-outline what is required to install PCDII with the
 T16.  The T16 is a 16Mhz 68000 and some of it's signals are  not usable by
 the PCDII  or other  CPU addon and so the addon must be connected directly
 to the motherboard signals. This can be done fairly easily.

 You must solder the PCDII clip onto the T16-68000 chip. All pins are to be
 soldered to the 68000 chip EXCEPT...6,7,8,9,10,11,and 15. These pins are
 actually  16Mhz  signals  and  will  not  make  PCDII  happy.    Bend  the
 corresponding PCDII clip pins out away from the  68000 chip  so they don't
 touch.   Then run  30ga solid core wirewrap wire to the equivalent pins ON
 THE MOTHERBOARD.  A short cut is to CAREFULLY pull  the 68000  chip out of
 it's socket  and solder  the wires direct to the T16. You will notice that
 on the T16 those pins are pulled off to the side of  the socket,  they are
 plugged into  an auxilary socket along side the actual 68000 socket on the
 T16 board.  This leaves the holes in the original  socket empty  for these
 pins.  You can solder the wires into these holes, plug the 68000 back into
 the T16, solder the PCDII clip to all the 68000 pins except the exceptions
 and then  solder the  wires to the corresponding PCDII pin that was pulled
 out to the side.    That  way  the  PCDII  is  actually  connected  to the
 MOTHERBOARD signals rather than the T16.  

 The same proceedure must be followed for the future T16 compatible version
 of PCSpeed if/when it is  imported  to  the  US.  You  would  do  the same
 installation  with   the  PCS   socket  provided  with  PCS,  pulling  the
 appropriate pins to the side and running wires as explained.

    Thankyou-Jim


  ------------


 Category 19,  Topic 2
 Message 509       Fri Feb 09, 1990
 AVANTGARDE                   at 13:46 EST
  
 This is an update of our investigation of a problem  with pc-ditto  II not
 booting DOS on some STs. 

 We have found the problem is due to timing changes in the ST hardware.  An
 early review of failed units shows that the 1040 ST has memory  chips with
 speeds faster  than 150  nanoseconds (most  notably 120ns -- shown as dash
 twelve (-12) or lower on the chip).  Most 1040s with 150ns and 170ns chips
 appear to  work fine.   Later on, for the curious, we'll detail the reason
 faster memory causes the glitch.  Other machines  suffer the  same malady,
 but we  have had too few reports to permit any reliable conclusion at this
 time.

 For now, we have  located the  problem and  are currently  testing several
 alternative  solutions.    Because  of  the  nature of the problem, we are
 verifying the fixes to be sure new pc-ditto II timing tolerances cures all
 STs.   The solution  will be in the form of a software update (and will be
 available in a library) or the  replacement  of  a  socketed  chip  on the
 pc-ditto  II  board.      The  fix  will  be  free,  and  we  will post an
 announcement very soon. 

 Thank you for your patience.

 Avant-Garde Systems

  ------------


 Editor Note.....
     While it is very easy for to sympathize with Bill Teal's situation, It
 cannot, in all fairness, be said that "it is an easy fix".  Also, that all
 those who have a problem should stand idily by while a solution is found.

       The manuever to garner  deposits  and  lock  down  hundreds  (if not
 thousands) of  people through  the discount  plan was an excellent move on
 AG's part and, no doubt, had the darn boards been righteous from the getgo
 it would  have been hailed as a stroke of marketing genius.  As things are
 now, there are unhappy users all over the northern hemisphere, as a result
 AG now  has the unenviable distinction of having more users grumbling than
 Atari has ever managed to have.

     As a friend of the userbase, the best  advise to  give is  do what you
 think is  best for  you...   There is no clear cut solution, or way to go.
 Sure, AG will eventually find the solution, but  then, there  is still one
 nagging problem  that will  be more difficult than all others to overcome.
 THE BOARDS ARE TOO BIG! ... Caveat Emptor.





         _________________________________________________________




 > SUPERCHARGER! CPU/STR Spotlight  You've seen the rest, now comes...
   ===============================



                                                  SUPERCHARGER!
                                                  ============


 A preliminary overview

 by R.F. Mariano

     Talon Technology has announced  Supercharger,  the  first  external PC
 processor board  for Atari  ST Computers.   Condor  Computer Ltd. has been
 shipping the Supercharger in the UK since 10/89  with unrivaled acceptance
 and success.  Talon is presently awaiting FCC approval for sale to the USA
 marketplace. 

     Out of the box, and onto the desk, in a matter moments  the device was
 connected to the DMA port and ........UP and RUNNING!!
  
     NO MONUMENTAL, TECHNICAL or EXPEN$IVE INSTALLATION AT ALL.....

     Since  the  device  arrived  via  UPS  today, this afternoon, at about
 4:30pm EST, we were left with little or no time to put  this beaut through
 its paces.   But...  that leaves us all week to do so and come back to you
 in our next issue with a detailed report on Supercharger.

     The unit's appearance is akin to a miniature  tower type  cabinet that
 is remarkably  good looking.   The  unit measures  7.5"d x 2.25"w x 6"h, a
 very comfy footprint on our already squeezed desktops.

     The notable difference  between  Talon's  Supercharger  and  all other
 working and non-working emulators is readily apparent; anybody can install
 this device in a matter of  moments.   Also, unlike  the others..  it is a
 full  processor  and  does  not  have  to be installed inside the ST case.
 Instead, the emulator is housed in a sharp looking case  which has chassis
 connectors for  the DMA port on the ST and of course, feed through for the
 hard drive or whatever.  

     Incidently, to aid complex  software,  such  as  spreadsheets, desktop
 publishing  and  graphics  manipulations  packages,  the  Supercharger  is
 socketed for the 8087 math co-processor.    Plug  in  the  8087.  and your
 calculations intensive applications will zip right along....

     Consider that  the foremost feature of the ST and the Apple Macintosh,
 and probably their strongest selling  point,  is  that  both  machines use
 mice,  windows  pointers  and  menus  to  provide  a  super  user-friendly
 operating environment.  Once IBM and  friends realized  this, they decided
 to go  the same  route....Supercharger fully takes advantage of this as it
 converts the mouse so that  it  behave  just  like  its  Microsoft cousin.
 When  using  the  Microsoft  mouse  versus  the ST mouse, you will find no
 degradation in performance and additionally all  software works  well.  In
 many cases there appears to be an improvement in resolution.

     Next week, the full story, technically speaking, and from the ordinary
 user's point of view...  don't miss it.


                                ----------

 Below, we present a few comments by Mark Booth, of SDACE, SAN  DIEGO ATARI
 COMPUTER ENTHUSIASTS...that recently appeared online in the GEnie ST RT.


 STACE [Mark], posts;
  
     A representative  from Talon  Technology was  again a guest at our Feb
 1st SDACE meeting.  They brought aloneg TWO SuperCharger units,  on to run
 and the other one to pass around the room.  They popped the top off of the
 case of the second unit and let us individually examine it to  our heart's
 content.  

     First, this is a VERY nicely constructed piece of equipment!  I really
 like the  very attractive  "mini-tower" case  design.   The latest surface
 mount technology  was used  of the  internal components.  The board layout
 was VERY clean.  There a socket to add a  math co-processor.  The standard
 SuperCharger comes equiped with 512K via four 256Kx4 RAM chips.  There are
 sockets for an additional  four RAM  chips. Upgrading  a SuperCharger from
 512K to  1 meg  should be  as  easy as popping the top and plugging in the
 RAM chips (again...four 256x4 chips).

     Hook-up is a breeze.  Just  connect either  of the  SuperCharger's two
 DMA  ports  to  your  ST's  DMA  port.   Connect any HD, etc. to the other
 SuperCharger DMA port.  Plug the supplied 5v power supply  to the  back of
 the SuperCharger  and your done.  Running the supplied software brings you
 up in PC mode  in no  time. Our  club President  hooked it  up and  had it
 running on his 1 meg 520 in less than 2 minutes!

     Norton rating was 4.2.  We had limitied PC software to try it with but
 EVERYTHING we tried ran.  Even the IBM PC version of Zaxxon worked great! 
 Talon reports the following:  It  is no  longer necessary  to hold  in the
 little button on the front of SuperCharger when you reboot your ST (as was
 reported in some magazine  reviews).   We tried  this,   rebooting the 520
 several times,  SuperCharger worked prefectly and did not effect normal ST
 operation.

     Talon also reports  that  there  is  a  patch  available  to  fix some
 reported problems with certain Supra host adapters/hd boot software. 

     For comparison,  one of  our club members brought along his (yet to be
 installed) PC Ditto II board.   After  much  discussion  it  was generally
 agreed  that   SuperCharger  seems  to  be  THE  way  to  go  for  IBM  PC
 compatibility.

     I know one thing.  I  don't have  the slightest  interest in  using PC
 software.   However, SuperCharger is SOOOOOOO nice I found myself  wanting
 one just the same!

     Talon reports that they have a "Warehouse FULL"  of SuperChargers that
 are waiting  for FCC  approval to  ship!   They said  that FCC approval is
 expected within 30-45 days (as of Thursday, Feb 1st.).

     This is just my personal feeling but, I would be willing to  pay TWICE
 as much for SuperCharger because of its ease of use and installation!  The
 best part is that SuperCharger does NOT cost twice as much as the others!

                                                  Mark






      ______________________________________________________________





 > MICRO RTX CPU/STR Tech Notes   Beckemeyer, a little background..
   ============================



 by David Beckemeyer  



        MICRO RTX: YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW

        My name is David Beckemeyer.  I developed MICRO RTX, a
        multitasking operating system kernel for the Atari ST.
        Since releasing MICRO RTX as shareware, I have been
        bombarded with requests for more information.

        I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little
        about myself, my small development company, how MICRO RTX
        came about, and where it may be going in the future.


        A LITTLE BACKGROUND

        Prior to developing any Atari ST software, I had been
        working on large image storage and retrieval systems.  These
        systems used Motorola 68000 CPUs and the VME bus.   At that
        time a 512K 8Mhz CPU card with two or three serial ports
        cost about $1,800.  That's just for the CPU card, not
        including any disk interfaces or the VME card cage.  So when
        the first 520ST came out in 1985 with that exact same 8Mhz
        CPU and 512K of RAM for $799.00, you can bet that I scooped
        one up fast.

        The first thing I missed on my new Atari ST was that
        familiar UNIX development environment.   Using GEM to
        compile with the original DRI compiler that Atari shipped
        with the Developers Package just didn't make it.   Mind you,
        I'm not complaining about the $300.  I had developed
        software for those VME boxes using UNIX on a VAX, running
        cross-compilers that cost thousands of dollars and I had
        already forked over several hundred dollars to Microsoft for
        a PC "C" compiler and even more to DRI for the PC GEM
        developers kit. So the $300 price tag was a bargain.

        I had to do something about the development environment
        though, so I wrote Micro C-Shell.   I ran a small
        advertisement in Analog Magazine (remember them) and Arthur
        Leyenburger wrote a review of the program.   Calls started
        coming in -- real live orders for Micro C-Shell!  This was
        the beginning of the saga of Beckemeyer Development Tools
        Atari ST development.



        MULTITASKING TOS EMULATOR

        We used a real-time multitasking operating system on those
        VME systems and I missed this capability on the Atari ST.
        I decided to write a kernel for the ST.   This started off
        as a quick little real-time kernel with only a few system
        calls for basic stand-alone multitasking applications.  This
        basic kernel didn't take very long to implement, but because
        it was entirely self-contained and had no TOS compatibility,
        it had limited usefulness on the ST.

        So I started working on adding multitasking to TOS.  This
        turned out to be a little bit more difficult than I had
        first envisioned.  After several months of attempting to
        hack a layer on top of the standard TOS, I realized I wasn't
        getting anywhere and I needed to try a different approach.
        I basically scraped the whole "wedge" idea in favor of a
        completely new system -- a TOS Emulator.  This is what MICRO
        RTX really is.  It emulates TOS, at least the GEMDOS and
        BIOS levels, and adds a new set of TOS functions based on
        the original Atari GEMDOS and BIOS architecture.

        In fact, MICRO RTX is really two systems in one.  There is
        the stand-alone real-time kernel and the TOS compatible I/O
        sub-system.  Using the TOS GEMDOS and BIOS as the foundation
        for the design has advantages and disadvantages.  The
        biggest advantage is that any program written for the Atari
        ST TOS has a good chance of running under the MICRO RTX TOS
        emulation.  This means there is a large existing application
        software base for MICRO RTX.  Another big advantage is that
        software developers do not need to learn an entirely new
        operating system; they only need to learn the new MICRO RTX
        extensions.  The main disadvantage of starting with the
        GEMDOS/BIOS design is that it has certain limitations.
        GEMDOS was originally written by DRI and is patterned after
        MS-DOS from the IBM-PC world, which in turn was sort of an
        evolution of CP/M, which was mostly derived from RT-11, and
        so on.  Suffice to say that TOS is not the cleanest and most
        advanced operating system in the world.  In the end, I
        decided the advantages of emulating TOS out weighed the
        disadvantages and so that's what I did.


        THE EVOLUTION OF MICRO RTX

        The first versions of RTX TOS emulation were a little buggy.
        What's more, I found out that a lot of ST programmers tended
        to "do it their way" in lieu of using system calls.
        Although it wasn't entirely their fault, since in those
        early days the documentation was, well to be kind, not very
        good.  These "renegade" programs resulted in what I call the
        second generation of MICRO RTX -- the major update and test
        cycle in an attempt to get as many programs as we could find
        to operate correctly with MICRO RTX.  At the same time, I
        added some additional enhancements to TOS and speeded the
        whole thing up too.

        Now MICRO RTX has proven that it can be a stable platform
        for efficient multitasking and multiuser operations on the
        Atari ST.   It has been used for many different types of
        applications from real-time control systems, to general
        multiuser/multitasking systems like MT C-Shell, to multiuser
        business systems such as TurboPOS.


        WHY SHAREWARE?

        To date, there are probably only a few hundred people who
        have taken the time to learn MICRO RTX and really know how
        to take advantage of it.  Only these few people know the
        true power of MICRO RTX.   Had the Atari ST market grown to
        anywhere near the size of the IBM-PC market, MICRO RTX would
        have been much more widely used.  As it is, few developers
        could afford to invest the extra time and money involved in
        using and licensing MICRO RTX.

        Now since it is available to anyone as Shareware, I'm hoping
        some of the many talented ST programmers out there will
        exploit the full potential of MICRO RTX.   It took a lot of
        effort to get MICRO RTX to work right. I think it's
        basically a good system with some nice features.  I think
        you'll find the same thing if you get a chance to try it
        yourself.


        THE NEXT GENERATION

        I'm looking forward to comments from users regarding new
        features that you would like to see in MICRO RTX.   Since we
        now have a TOS that can be changed any way we want, think
        about all those things you'd like TOS to have that would
        never happen if we waited for PromisTOS revision 20951.6!








          _______________________________________________________




 > WAACE/'90  CPU/STR SHOW NEWS   The Premier East Coast Show...
   ============================



     The WAACE  organization has  conducted its  first meeting  of 1990 and
 elected new officers.
  
               Chairman........... Russell Brown
               Vice Chairman...... Charles Smeton
               Treasurer.......... Tom Stoddard
               Vendor Coordinator. John Barnes 
               Physical layout.... Bill Brown
               Program Ads........ Steve Rudolf 
               Hospitality........ Cheryl Evry
               Publicity.......... Bruce Evry and Bob Johnson.

     Charles Smeton will also be responsible for arranging the Seminars and
 Usergroup Demos...

     The Fest will be located totally in the  Sheraton Hotel  in Reston. We
 have All  of their  conference facilities. The Sheraton has over 300 guest
 rooms and are available from  the  hotel  at  (703),  620-9000...  We have
 21,000 feet of total meeting  of meeting space for Vendors User groups and
 Seminars... 

     The Sheraton also supports a FAX line at (703) supports a FAX  line at
 (703)-860-1594. Complimentary shuttle service exists from Dulles Airport..
 Parking exists for 900... More  details  on  Fest  planning  will  be made
 available soon. 

     If you  have any  questions please direct them to me, I am R.brown3 on
 Genie or call me at home (703) 680-2698, I am at home from 4:30  pm daily,
 please no calls after 9:30 pm EST....

                         Thanks for your continued support,

                              Russell Brown WAACE Chairman





         _________________________________________________________





 > Stock Market ~ CPU NewsWire
   ===========================


                                                    THE TICKERTAPE
                                                    ==============

 by Michael Arthur

 Concept by Glenn Gorman


       Atari Stock went down 1/8 of a point on Monday, and dropped 3/8 of a
 point on Tuesday.  On Wednesday  it  was  down  1/8  of  a  point,  but on
 Thursday, it climbed up 3/8 of a point.  On Friday, Atari Stock was up 1/8
 of a point.  Finishing up the week at 7  1/4 points,  Atari Stock  is down
 1/8 of a point from the last report.


       Apple Stock is up 1 1/2 points from Friday, January 25, 1990.
           Commodore Stock is down 5/8 of a point from 1/25/90.
                IBM Stock is up 1 1/2 points from 1/25/90.


               Stock Report for Week of 1/28/90 to 2/02/90

 _________________________________________________________________________
 STock|   Monday    |  Tuesday   |  Wednesday  |  Thursday  |   Friday    |
 Reprt|Last    Chg. |Last    Chg.|Last     Chg.|Last    Chg.|Last    Chg. |
 -----|-------------|------------|-------------|------------|-------------|
 Atari|7 1/4   - 1/8|6 7/8  - 3/8|6 3/4   - 1/8|7 1/8  + 3/8|7 1/4   + 1/8|
      |             |            |             |            | 94,100 Sls  |
 -----|-------------+------------+-------------+------------+-------------|
  CBM |8 7/8     -- |8 7/8    -- |8 3/8   - 1/2|8 1/4  - 1/8|8 1/4    --  |
      |             |            |             |            | 88,300 Sls  |
 -----|-------------+------------+-------------+------------+-------------|
 Apple|33 1/4  + 1/2|  34   + 3/4|  34    ---- |33 5/8  -3/8|34 1/4  + 5/8|
      |             |            |             |            |1,057,800 Sls|
 -----|-------------+------------+-------------+------------+-------------|
  IBM |97 1/4  + 3/8|97 1/4   -- |98 5/8 +1 3/8|97 3/4  -7/8|98 3/8  + 5/8|
      |             |            |             |            |1,516,100 Sls|
 -----'-------------------------------------------------------------------'

      'Sls' refers to the # of stock shares that were traded that day.
      'CBM' refers to Commodore Corporation.







      ______________________________________________________________




 > DynaCADD 1.7 CPU/STR Review  The best is for Atari....
   ===========================



                            DynaCadd VS AutoCad 10
                            ======================



by Myles Goddard


      In our last article, I discussed the system requirements for both
AutoCad 10 and Dynacadd 1.7.  As you can well imagine, DynaCadd is
especially designed for the Atari 1040 and MEGA ST computers.  Therefore
it takes advantage of the ST's razor sharp displays, speed and graphic
interface. I am running DynaCadd on my 1040ST with SM124 monochrome monitor
and am very pleased with the results.  


      DynaCadd 1.7 requires a security cartridge inserted into the
cartridge port in order to run.  If the cartridge is not present you
need to turn off the machine and insert it into the cartridge port.  For
gosh sake, NEVER remove or insert the cartridge while the machine is
turned on or you might cause serious damage to the port, cartridge or
computer itself.


      DynaCadd can be used from a floppy system but a hard drive is
recommended.  Also, a math co-processor is recommended but not
necessary.  DynaCadd has cleverly designed the use overlays for functions
that would ordinarily be accessable from the ram of the computer.  This
feature was built-in to allow us lowly 1 meg users to use DynaCadd..
<grin>.

      Now with that out of the way, let's get down into the meat of
the matter!


      The DynaCadd manual is 474 pages long and very detailed in it's
explanation of each instruction and command.  The first part of the book
has  2D and 3D Tutorials.  But before we get into the tutorials we'll
start at some of the keyboard and mouse conventions.


     The key instructions are bracketed so there will be no confusion
with the rest of the text.  It should be noted that the RETURN key and
the ENTER key have separate functions so they are not interchangeable. 
A semicolon (;) is used frequently and is used when the command is
complete.  It acts the same way as the right mouse button.  A comma (,)
is used to separate data in your keyboard entry.  Alternate (ALT) is
used in conjunction with other keys to activate your menu commands.  The
CONTROL (Ctrl) key allows the creation of custom macros.  The Function
keys (F1 - F10) have permanent commands assigned to them and therefore
cannot be changed.  The Mouse conventions are referred to the same way
they are in GEM so if you are familiar with GEM you will not have any
problems whatsoever.


      The TEXT EDITOR is one of the utilities that you will use a great
deal to enter text anywhere on the drawing.  The TEXT window is large
enough for 800 characters and is typical of many ascii editors and use
the same keys to move around the text window.  As you type your text in
the editor, you will notice that the return key ends the line and
proceeds down one line.  Undo will cancel the session and close the
window.  The enter key will accept what you have typed and close the
window as well.


      DynaCadd has a utility that reads and writes files that are
compatible with AutoCad and other Cadd programs.  They are the DXF
format, which is the industry standard on AutoCad, ASC, which is used in
one of the European Cad packages, and DEF, which is DynaCadd's own ascii
file format.  I tried the FILE TRANSFER program with one of my Autocad
drawings and it worked like a champ, except for the colored layers I had
in my AutoCad drawing.  Of course, since the SM124 is only two colors,
black and white, all the lines were the same colors.  No problem, the
display was razor sharp.  The fonts were different but they looked good.
DynaCadd offers a superb vector font editor with the package and also
comes with several Compugraphic fonts.


      There are a few definitions that you should be aware of before
working with DynaCadd.  The first one that will present itself to you is
the SYSTEM level.  Here you are presented with the opportunity to set up
your drawing's scale, units of measure and your printer or plotter page
size.  From here you pick your part and drawing file to update or start
a new one.  The next level is the actual CADD level.  This is THE level
that you draw all your lines, points, arcs, polygons, etc.  It also
allows the output to your printer and/or plotter.  


      Another couple of items you need to be aware of are the PARTS and
the DRAWINGS.  The PART is a 3 dimensional database that defines the
basic drawing elements.  Remember, a part is like a real object and can
be reformed, disected and arranged or rearranged.  As long as the
computer is on, your part is intact.  If you quit without saving, then
it goes bye bye with the rest of your memory.  The DRAWING is the actual
drawing sheet.  It's size is determined by you in the system level.


      Okay, now we are ready to start our first drawing.  After the
program is loaded we are presented with a large dialog box.  Here is
what we have to do first-----


            1.  Activate a part.

            2.  Activate a drawing.

            3.  Set the drawing size.

            4.  Set the drawing units.

            5.  Set the drawing scale.

            6.  Enter the CADD level.


      Please note that numbers 3 through 5 are optional.  After you have
saved a previous drawing, DynaCadd automatically saves it for you so the
next time you boot up, it will default to exactly where you left off. 
After you have selected your part and drawing, you can set your units to
either metric or English.  


      Setting the drawing size is a snap.  The first method of choosing
your paper size is to select from fifteen predefined boxes, labeled from
A to E and A4 to AO.  The other method is also a breeze.  Just fill in
the blanks displayed with your own dimensions and it will take of it
from there.


      In our next installment, we will discuss the basic theory of
Computer Aided Drafting and Design.  Although it sounds kind of
frightening to see all the strange names and labels of objects used
in Drafting it only takes a little while before you will be sailing
right along.






               ______________________________________________





 > Assembly CornerCPU/STR Tech Notes   Programming in assembly.
   =================================



                     Assembly Language Tutorial


 by Charles Medley
   
 ctsy:  STATUS DISK MAGAZINE


             Graphics, Part One:  Higher Level/GEM usage


         An aspiration of mine is creating a video game.  Whether 
    or  not  people  perceive  the Atari  ST/Mega  line  as  game 
    machines to me is irrelevant, because to me, entertainment is 
    one of the top uses of any computer I buy.

         Now keeping this in mind, remember, I'm probably as much 
    a beginner  in  assembly programming as anyone who is reading 
    this.  So what makes me able to teach anyone? 

         Well, nothing actually, except that I'm learning it WITH 
    you!  The code in this article may not be the most efficient, 
    and  if you have any helpful hints or tips,  forward them  to 
    me.   The  reason  I  think this will all  be  more  fun  and 
    interesting  is  because  I will take the time  to  help  the 
    beginners while trying to push the vanguard with some of  the 
    more dedicated hackers.

         Okay, enough prattling, let's get down to business.

         The first thing I am going to say is this:   Until I can 
    find  some good documentation on the use of VRT_CPYFM  (  the 
    transparent  raster  copy ),  I cannot say  that  multi-color 
    sprite-like graphics is impossible,  but it sure is NOT easy! 
    Many  options  can be tried:   You can try using  the  Line-A 
    sprites  and "layering" them,  you can try the Line-A  BitBlk 
    routine,  or,  if it is indeed possible,  layer rasters using 
    the  vrt_cpyfm function (VDI opcode is 121) but  the  obvious 
    problem is defining a single color source, which is something 
    I decided to forego.   Judging from the demands players today 
    place  on the computer game,  it is most likely that  in  the 
    ST  world,  programmers have been using their own  customized 
    routines which handle the graphics in a sprite-like manner.

         But  what about getting our feet wet and mucking  around 
    with some of the higher level raster functions first?   Let's 
    do it!

         I  chose  to use vro_cpyfm for this program (  which  is 
    contained in RUN_MAN.ARC ),  since I wanted to keep it simple 
    and  allow for learning the necessary criteria for  making  a 
    "blit".   The reason it is so simple for what we're doing  is 
    that we're literally booting up a DEGAS picture into an  area 
    of  memory,  and getting the images we want from a series  of 
    drawings in it, and vro_cpyfm will handle all four bit-planes 
    with a single call.

         The  first thing I always do within a program like  this 
    is  use  the  GEM m_alloc call to set  aside  memory  for  my 
    graphic screens.   In this case we need at least 96000 bytes, 
    since we have two screens which are going to be "flipped"  so 
    as not to have flickering animation, and a third screen which 
    contains the raster data we're using.

         The next thing is to set the resolution.   When you  use 
    GEM and set the resolution to a new value within the program, 
    dialog boxes,  alert boxes, drop downs, etc... all still work 
    in the original resolution.   But for this program, with none 
    of that in use, it really doesn't matter!     

         Booting up a DEGAS picture is quite easy.  The format of 
    a DEGAS pic is:

    2     bytes    -    resolution
    32    bytes    -    palette (the RGB values of the 16 colors)
    32000 bytes    -    screen data
    32    bytes    -    animation information, used by DEGAS 
                        Elite only.  

         The total length of the file is 32034 bytes in  original 
    DEGAS format,  and 32066 bytes in DEGAS  Elite,  Uncompressed 
    format.   Looking  at the source code,  you can see how I  go 
    about  booting  the  picture  in  and  setting  the   palette 
    properly.  I have written macros that open the file (f_open), 
    move  the  file  pointer  ( f_seek  ),  read  from  the  file 
    (  f_read ),  and close the file ( f_close ).   All of  these 
    correspond to the proper GEMDOS calls.   If you wish to delve 
    into files and how to handle them, examine the macros as they 
    are well commented.

         Now here is the good part.   According to every book  on 
    how  to do a raster copy,  you have to set  up  MFDBs.   Some 
    people  look  at  the  abbreviation  and  immediately   enter 
    catatonic shock and one friend of mine actually stopped using 
    his  ST and began chanting meaningless things about  how  his 
    C128 was never like this....

         MFDBs  are simply Memory Form  Definition  Blocks.   The 
    name is still complicated enough that most people think  they 
    will  need  a  bullwhip  and  a  fedora  to  deal  with   the 
    programming aspect of it in assembly.

         This is where the C user starts to giggle and whips  out 
    his TYPE DEF STRUCT command...

         Well,  here's all you need to do to define an MFDB,  and 
    its there in my code:

    MFDB:                         name of the MFDB for our purpose
    address        ds.l 1         address of the screen data  for 
                                  to associate with this MFDB
    widthnpix      ds.w 1         width of the raster  image  in 
                                  pixels.  ALWAYS 320 in low rez, 
                                  or 640 in medium and high rez.
    heightnpix     ds.w 1         height of the raster in pixels, 
                                  which  is 200 in low or  medium 
                                  rez, and 400 in high rez.
    widthnwords    ds.w 1         the widthnpix divided by 16.
    formflag       ds.w 1         the  form  flag,   usually   1, 
                                  according  to  the  DevPac   ST 
                                  manual.
    numofplanes    ds.w 1         number of bit planes in raster.
                                  4 = low rez
                                  2 = medium rez
                                  1 = monochrome
    reserved       ds.w 3         three reserved words, set to 0.


         Essentially,  its  ideal to set up all your MFDBs to  be 
    identical except for the address of the screen.  All of these 
    parameters are easily either calculated or returned from  GEM 
    inquiry functions if your program must be adaptable.

         However,  none of that really will matter with trying to 
    move a little guy across your SC1224...

         Now,  whenever  messing with  the MFDB,  you'll set  the 
    values to whatever is appropriate.   In my code, you'll see I 
    set  that  up before I begin messing with the  actual  raster 
    copying.  Also, in case you're wondering, all the MFDB really 
    holds  are parameters for the screens you're  copying  either 
    from or to.  Easily enough done.

         But  wait...don't you want to tell it WHERE to  get  and 
    send  all this graphic data?   That's where the PTSIN  arrays 
    come in.   This is actually quite easy,  and the format is as 
    follows:

         PTSIN     -    x coordinate of upper left corner, source
         PTSIN+2   -    y coordinate of "   "   "   "  "   "   "
         PTSIN+4   -    x  coordinate  of  lower  right   corner, 
                        source
         PTSIN+6   -    y  coordinate  of  lower  right   corner, 
                        source

         PTSIN+8 to PTSIN+14 are the same parameters,  but  apply 
    to  the  destination raster.   Essentially,  to copy  from  a 
    raster  whose  coordinates are (200,100,231,131)  to  another 
    location, such as (26,92,57,123), you'd set it up like:

             move.w     #200,ptsin
             move.w     #100,ptsin+2
             move.w     #231,ptsin+4
             move.w     #131,ptsin+6

             move.w     #26,ptsin+8
             move.w     #92,ptsin+10
             move.w     #57,ptsin+12
             move.w     #123,ptsin+14


         There  is another parameter to worry about  also.   That 
    is,  the raster mode.   To make it short and sweet,  none  of 
    this  really helps you if you're trying to make  them  handle 
    like sprites.   Mode #6 is good for a single raster that  you 
    want to erase by ANDing it with itself,  but on a screen full 
    of  objects,  some  of which will overlap,  you may  want  to 
    confine  yourself to mode #3 for displaying it,  and mode  #0 
    for erasing it.   Or,  you can even perform a v_clrwk as long 
    as  you  know that what you want to erase is on  the  logical 
    screen.

         Now for the juicy part...

         If you look at the DEGAS picture,  you'll see the man is 
    in  different  parts of the screen.   We want to  cycle  back 
    and forth between the rasters used, and the way to do that is 
    to  associate  each  step  in the "cycle"  with  one  of  the 
    possible  rasters  and  its  coordinates.    That  could  get 
    complicated,  so I split it into two sections.  One loop goes 
    through  all the rasters from left to right,  and the  second 
    one  goes back ( right to left ) through all but  the  raster 
    farthest  left  and the raster farthest right in  the  image. 
    The reason is simple:   The first loop shows those two images 
    already,  so  if we did it twice,  those images would  appear 
    TWICE, not once, like all the others.

         As  all of this is happening,  we have adding to  the  x 
    coordinates  of  where to put the image  on  screen.   If  we 
    don't,  he'll  appear to be running in place.   As we add  to 
    that, each loop either will add or subtract the x coordinates 
    of  where to look for the proper raster to display  as  well! 
    This  effectively cycles the necessary rasters  while  moving 
    the destination across the screen, from left to right.

         Now,  how do we make all of this flicker-free?   We  all 
    know  that  the  supposed  graphic  wunderkind,   the  Amiga, 
    flickers!   And  the last thing you need is to have  your  ST 
    flicker like an Amiga!   So....   looking in my loops, you'll 
    note  that after I set up the proper x coordinates  into  the 
    ptsin arrays for the source and destination rasters,  I  copy 
    the raster to the LOGICAL screen,  which is NOT being  shown. 
    Once it is shown,  I can erase the previous screen,  which is 
    now the logical screen with a v_clrwk.   To make sure none of 
    this  occurs before the screen I want is displayed,  I  do  a 
    XBCALL #37,2,  which, to my macros, is just saying to perform 
    XBIOS  37  and fix the stack by 2 bytes.   XBIOS  37  is  the 
    V_sync call and its purpose is to stall things until the  VBL 
    (  vertical  blank  ).   This assures you  that  you'll  have 
    flicker-free animation.

         Some obvious improvements can be made in this  code.   I 
    could,  for example,  do comparisons and determine the proper 
    source  raster  from that,  so as not to  use  two  separate, 
    distinct  loops  within  a larger  loop  ( which  essentially 
    keeps the whole thing going coherently!  ).   If you want to, 
    you  can make him run faster or slower by usign  more  XBCALL 
    #37,2 's in that section.  Right now, he runs pretty fast...


  **** START ****

          include   d:gemmacro.s

 * the program proper

 start         move.l    4(a7),a3       base page
          move.l    #mystack,a7
          move.l    $c(a3),d0      text len
          add.l     $14(a3),d0          data len
          add.l     $1c(a3),d0          BSS len
          add.l     #$100,d0       basepage
          move.l    d0,-(a7)
          move.l    a3,-(a7)
          clr.w     -(a7)
          move.w    #$4a,-(a7)
          trap #1             shrink memory
          lea  12(a7),a7

          appl_init
          move.w    d0,ap_id       store the application id

          graf_handle
          move.w    d0,current_handle   Desktop's VDI handle

 * start by opening a virtual workstation

          lea  intin,a0
          moveq     #10-1,d0       -1 for DBF
 .fill         move.w    #1,(a0)+       most params are 1
          dbf  d0,.fill
          move.w    #2,(a0)+       use RC system

          v_opnvwk            open it

          v_hide_c

  ****
          include   d:macros.s

  **** MAIN ****

 * what is the current resolution?  Store it in mode1!
          xbcall    #4,2
          move.w    d0,mode1

 * where are the physbase and logbase?  Store them in orig1 and orig2!
          xbcall    #2,2
          move.l    d0,orig1

          xbcall    #3,2
          move.l    d0,orig2

 * allocates 96k, enough for 3 screens!
          m_alloc   #96256,m_start1

 * finds a good starting address for the first screen...
          scr_a_c   m_start1,screen1

 * makes screen3 = screen1, then adds 32000 to screen1
          move.l    screen1,screen3
          add.l     #32000,screen1

 * makes screen2 = screen1, then adds 32000 to screen1
          move.l    screen1,screen2
          add.l     #32000,screen1

 * now we clear all the screens...
          set_scr   #-1,screen3
          v_clrwk
          set_scr   #-1,screen2
          v_clrwk
          set_scr   #-1,screen1
          v_clrwk

 * opens the PI1 file with my screen data...
          f_open    0,f_name1,f_hand1

 * gets resolution and sets it...
          f_read    #mode2,#2,f_hand1
          rez  mode2

 * gets palette and sets it...
          f_read    #palette,#32,f_hand1
          set_palette palette

 * reads in screen data and displays it...only 9600 bytes/60 scan lines
          f_read    screen1,#9600,f_hand1

 * closes file...
          f_close   f_hand1

 * Sets up MFDB1
          move.l    screen1,address1
          move.w    #320,widthnpix1
          move.w    #200,heightnpix1
          move.w    #20,widthnwords1
          move.w    #1,formflag1
          move.w    #4,numofplanes1
          move.l    #0,reserveda1
          move.l    #0,reservedb1

 * Sets up MFDB2
          move.l    screen2,address2
          move.w    #320,widthnpix2
          move.w    #200,heightnpix2
          move.w    #20,widthnwords2
          move.w    #1,formflag2
          move.w    #4,numofplanes2
          move.l    #0,reserveda2
          move.l    #0,reservedb2

 * Sets up MFDB3
          move.l    screen3,address3
          move.w    #320,widthnpix3
          move.w    #200,heightnpix3
          move.w    #20,widthnwords3
          move.w    #1,formflag3
          move.w    #4,numofplanes3
          move.l    #0,reserveda3
          move.l    #0,reservedb3

 * set up variables for the rasters....
 x1       ds.w 1         upper left corner of source
 y1       dc.w 1         y1.w = 1 forever and ever....
 x2       ds.w 1         lower right corner of source
 y2       dc.w 60        y2.w = 60 forever and ever... 

 x3       ds.w 1         upper left x of dest...
 y3       ds.w 1         upper left y of dest...
 x4       ds.w 1         lower right x of dest...
 y4       ds.w 1         lower right y of dest...

 * sets up our source values...
          move.w    #10,d4
          move.w    #4,d5
          move.w    #1,x1
          move.w    #49,x2

 * sets our destinations to values...
          move.w    #0,x3          x3 = 0
          move.w    #70,y3         y3 = 70
          move.w    #47,x4         x4 = 47
          move.w    #130,y4        y4 = 130


 loop1

 part1 
 * moves visible raster...
          move.w    x1,ptsin
          move.w    y1,ptsin+2
          move.w    x2,ptsin+4
          move.w    y2,ptsin+6

          move.w    x3,ptsin+8
          move.w    y3,ptsin+10
          move.w    x4,ptsin+12
          move.w    y4,ptsin+14
  
          vro_cpyfm #3,#mfdb1,#mfdb2  

          set_scr   screen2,screen3
          xbcall    #37,2
          xbcall    #37,2
          xbcall    #37,2
          v_clrwk   

 * swaps screen values...
          move.l    screen3,dummyL
          move.l    screen2,screen3
          move.l    dummyL,screen2

 * adjusts a values in MFDB2 and MFDB3 for the screen...
          move.l    screen2,address2
          move.l    screen3,address3

 * waits for keypress...
 *        inkey 

 * moves the window in the source raster...
          add.w     #49,x1
          add.w     #49,x2

 * adds to destination...
          add.w     #4,x3
          add.w     #4,x4

          cmp.w     #319,x4
          bge  termn8

 * loops until d5 is content with life...
          dbra d5,loop1


 * resets the screen variables...
          sub.w     #98,x1
          sub.w     #98,x2
          move.w    #2,d5
        
 loop2

 * creates a new raster!
          move.w    x1,ptsin
          move.w    y1,ptsin+2
          move.w    x2,ptsin+4
          move.w    y2,ptsin+6

          move.w    x3,ptsin+8
          move.w    y3,ptsin+10
          move.w    x4,ptsin+12
          move.w    y4,ptsin+14

          vro_cpyfm #3,#mfdb1,#mfdb2

          set_scr   screen2,screen3
          xbcall    #37,2
          xbcall    #37,2
          xbcall    #37,2
          v_clrwk
    
 * swaps screen values...
          move.l    screen3,dummyL
          move.l    screen2,screen3
          move.l    dummyL,screen2

 * adjusts a values in MFDB2 and MFDB3 for the screen...
          move.l    screen2,address2
          move.l    screen3,address3
  
 * waits for keypress...
 *        inkey

 * moves the window in the source raster...
          sub.w     #49,x1
          sub.w     #49,x2

 * adds to destination...
          add.w     #4,x3
          add.w     #4,x4

          cmp.w     #319,x4
          bge  termn8

 * loops until d5 is content with life...
          dbra d5,loop2

 * resets source info...
          move.w    #1,x1
          move.w    #48,x2
          move.w    #4,d5

          dbra d4,loop1

 termn8
          m_free    m_start1     
          set_palette palinfo
          set_scr   orig1,orig2
          rez  #1
          bra  terminate

  ****
          include   d:errors.s
          include   d:terminat.s

  ****

          SECTION   DATA

 * The six files I will be messing with......

 f_name1       dc.b '\run_man.pi1',0

 * Stuff for my kinda online monitoring....by seeing output as I go!

 crlf          dc.b 13,10,0             values for a cr/lf 

 * Variable containing some generic palette data for the editor...

 palinfo       dc.w $777,$700,$070,$000,$000,$000,$000,$000
          dc.w $000,$000,$000,$000,$000,$000,$000,$000

 * global constants

     SECTION   BSS

  ****

 * Used in the application's "startup" sequence....vroom!

 ap_id         ds.w      1

          ds.l 100       stack space

 mystack       ds.w 1         (stacks go backwards)

  ****

 * Used for m_alloc and m_free calls.  I define as many of these as I think
 * I will need.....3 is about the maximum for what I plan to do!

 ram_free ds.l 1         amount of RAM in bytes

 m_start1 ds.l 1         address of first m_alloc call
 m_start2 ds.l 1         address of 2nd   "    "   "
 m_start3 ds.l 1         address of 3rd   "    "   "

 m_error       ds.w 1         space for error

  ****

 * Now, some variables for file handling.......
 * I don't think I'll personally use more than 6 files at once...

 f_hand1       ds.w 1         word for file #1's handle
 f_hand2       ds.w 1         "  "  "   "   #2's  "  "
 f_hand3       ds.w 1         "  "  "   "   #3's  "  "
 f_hand4       ds.w 1         "  "  "   "   #4's  "  "
 f_hand5       ds.w 1         "  "  "   "   #5's  "  "
 f_hand6       ds.w 1         "  "  "   "   #6's  "  "

 fname1        ds.b 13        12 bytes terminated with a 0

          even

 file_size     ds.l 1

  ****

 * Now.....to go thru the arduous process of creating the offsets for the 
 * Line-A calls.  Sure, I can call stuff thru GEM, but what if I don't want
 * to?  Riiiiiiight!

 orig1         ds.l 1         ptr to original screen1
 orig2         ds.l 1         ptr to original screen2

 screen1       ds.l 1         address of screen1
 screen2       ds.l 1         address of screen2
 screen3       ds.l 1         address of screen3

 palette       ds.w 16        pointer to palette
 mode1         ds.w 1         space for mode
 mode2         ds.w 1

 dummyL        ds.l 1         dummy variable

 mfdb1
 address1 ds.l 1
 widthnpix1    ds.w 1
 heightnpix1   ds.w 1
 widthnwords1  ds.w 1
 formflag1     ds.w 1         usually 1
 numofplanes1  ds.w 1         number of bit planes
 reserveda1    ds.w 2         set to 0...reserved
 reservedb1    ds.w 2         "   "  "  "  "   "
 reservedc1    ds.w 1         "   "  "  "  "   "

 mfdb2
 address2 ds.l 1
 widthnpix2    ds.w 1
 heightnpix2   ds.w 1
 widthnwords2  ds.w 1
 formflag2     ds.w 1         usually 1
 numofplanes2  ds.w 1         number of bit planes
 reserveda2    ds.w 2         set to 0...reserved
 reservedb2    ds.w 2         "   "  "  "  "   "
 reservedc2    ds.w 1         "   "  "  "  "   "


 mfdb3
 address3 ds.l 1
 widthnpix3    ds.w 1
 heightnpix3   ds.w 1
 widthnwords3  ds.w 1
 formflag3     ds.w 1         usually 1
 numofplanes3  ds.w 1         number of bit planes
 reserveda3    ds.w 2         set to 0...reserved
 reservedb3    ds.w 2         "   "  "  "  "   "
 reservedc3    ds.w 1         "   "  "  "  "   "

 * if not linking then include the run-times

     include   d:aeslib.s
     include   d:vdilib.s






       ____________________________________________________________



 > Super KidGrid CPU/STR InfoFile   Graphics goodies for youngsters..
   ==============================


  
  
 ANNOUNCING:

                     S U P E R   K I D G R I D
                   For Creative Graphics Design
   
                            Program by:
                           D.A. Brumleve
  
                      Educational Consultant:
                            M.L. Marks
  
 Super  Kidgrid,  offering  unique  experiences  in patterning, shapes, and
 color, has the ability to provide both entertainment and challenge to your
 child.    Super  Kidgrid  offers  an introduction to the world of computer
 graphics design while developing and supporting creative thinking skills.
  
 Super Kidgrid features:
      <> installation program allows parent or teacher to choose
         options to match the developmental level of the child
      <> program grows with the child
      <> SAVE/LOAD 1, 5, or 1O pictures; saved pictures and 
         program load automatically
      <> print color-by-number versions of the onscreen pictures
         for embellishment with crayons or markers
      <> fourteen colors to choose from in making designs
      <> twelve built-in samples may be altered or copied
      <> easily scroll both forward and backward through samples
         and pictures
      <> familiar, consistent kidfriendly program environment
         makes learning a snap and promotes independence
  
 Package includes:
      <> specially-labelled green original disk
      <> extra iconographic labels for the child's copies--
         instantly recognized by non-readers as representing
         Super Kidgrid
      <> simplified children's manual
      <> full instructions for parents and teachers
  
                     Recommended for Ages 3-11
  
         Minimum Requirements: Color Atari 520ST Computer
                      with Single-Sided Drive
  
   Printer Must Accept an ST Screen Dump if Printing is Desired
  
                    Program Not Copy-Protected
  (In fact, owners are encouraged to make multiple copies for all
       children in their same household or school building!)
  
                   Now shipping for US $25 from:
  
                           D.A. BRUMLEVE
                           Super Kidgrid
            P.O Box 4195 / Urbana, IL  61801-8820 / USA
  
                  For MasterCard or Visa orders, 
              call (217) 337-1937 business hours, or
                send the order form printed below.

  
                         ---====***====---
  
  
 ORDER FORM
 ----------
  
 SHIP TO:___________________________________________________
          
         ___________________________________________________
   
         ___________________________________________________
  
 AREA CODE & PHONE:_________________________________________
 (Please give us your number in case we need to contact you
 concerning your order.)
   
 ITEM: Super Kidgrid
  
 QUANTITY:___
  
 PAYMENT METHOD:
  
      Personal Check / Money Order / MasterCard / Visa
  
 If MC/Visa:
  
 CARD NUMBER:_______________________________________________
  
 EXPIRATION DATE:___ ___
  
 BANK NUMBER:___________
  
 SIGNATURE:_________________________________________________ 
  
 Send completed form to:
  
                           D.A. BRUMLEVE
                           Super Kidgrid     
           P.O. Box 4195 / Urbana, IL  618O1-882O / USA
  
                            Thank you!





        ___________________________________________________________




 > CPU NEWSWIRE CONFIDENTIAL
   =========================


 - San Diego, CA.         ******  MULTI-TASKING FOR THE ST IS REAL  ******




 Recently, disclosed at the NAMM (NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF  MUSIC MERCHANTS)
 show,  Atari  was  showing  a  beta test version of a multitasking program
 which was developed with Intelligent Music.  So  do take  heart.  Progress
 is afoot  and soon to be released for all to enjoy.   In fact, there are a
 number of new developments in this field, which goes to prove that  the ST
 is gaining  a stronger  foothold every  day....   Below, we  present a few
 points of information we gathered about Softlink. 

 Question:
          What is Soft Link?  

     Softlink is a program that comes packaged with  Notator (a  MIDI music
     application),  it  will  however,  be released in a slightly different
     configuration as a stand-alone program in the near future. (developers
     aren't exactly accurate with their release time estimates) 

 Question:
          How much of a slow down is there?  

     It will not run on under 2 meg ram and it will not run on TOS versions
     earlier than 1.2. The program seems pretty hardy and the  only time it
     anything seems  to slow  down is  when a  lot of data is being process
     through the  ports  and  you're  trying  to  do  some  other processor
     intensive thing. But it is all within the limits of tolerance.

 Question:
          How stable is it?  

     It seems  to be  quite stable with well-behaved applications, although
     there hasn't  been  any  reports  of  problems  with  it,  C-Lab (it's
     creators) is  well aware of certain compatibility problems and readily
     admits these are  inevitable  until  some  standard  is  reached among
     software developers  (which they  are trying to work with).  C-Lab, (a
     West German Company) distributes Notator through: 

                              Digidesign Inc
                        1360 Willow Road, Suite 101
                       Menlo Park, California, 94025
                            Phone 415-327-8811.


     If you get in  touch  with  Digidesign,  be  sure  to  ask  them about
     Softlink LEVEL 3, the soon to be released stand-alone multitasker.




 - Sunnyvale, CA.                      ****  ATARI MAY HIRE NAGY!  ****
   --------------


     Coming from  two ultra confidential and usually very reliable sources,
 it is reported that A. Salerno's  division is  contemplating bringing John
 Nagy onboard.   Nagy,  a central figure in many controversial developments
 in the Atari arena and formally  of  Computer  Shopper  and  Znet recently
 moved to California from Michigan.



 - Solana Beach, CA.         ******  SUPERCHARGER WAITS ON FCC!  ******* 
   ----------------


     Supercharger,  a  remarkable  emulator  of  MS  Dos  devices, has been
 submitted to the FCC for type acceptance.  From all  indications thus far,
 Supercharger should fly through its tests and be available very shortly to
 the US market.







        __________________________________________________________




  
 > Hard Drive Info STReport InfoFile      Affordable Mass Storage
   =================================
  
  


                        NEW PRICES! & MORE MODELS!!
                       ============================


                      ABCO COMPUTER ELECTRONICS INC.
              P.O. Box 6672  Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672
                                Est.  1985
                 _________________________________________

                   Voice: 904-783-3319  10 AM - 4 PM EDT
                     BBS: 904-786-4176   12-24-96 HST
                    FAX: 904-783-3319  12 PM - 6 AM EDT
                 _________________________________________
                                        
                   HARD DISK SYSTEMS TO FIT EVERY BUDGET
                   _____________________________________
                                        
   All systems are complete and ready to use, included at NO EXTRA COST
                 are clock/calendar and cooling blower(s).
                                        
              ALL ABCO HARD DISK SYSTEMS ARE FULLY EXPANDABLE
                 (you are NOT limited to two drives ONLY!)
                   (all cables and connectors installed)

                  *** TAX REFUND SPECIALS IN EFFECT! ***
                          CALL FOR SPECIAL PRICES
                                        
               RUGGED, PROVEN SEAGATE HARD DISK MECHANISMS 

   * ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS *

         32mb #SG32238   549.00              42mb #SG44710   619.00
         51mb #SGN4951   629.00              65mb #SG60101   689.00
         80mb #SGN296    729.00             100mb #SG84011D  949.00
        130mb #SG1244D  1099.00             145mb #SG3A421  1110.00
        170mb #SGT41776 1389.00             260mb #SG1244Q  2169.00
                          320mb #SGN7788Q 3295.00

           Listed above are a sampling of the systems available.
      Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations
    (over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited)
                                     
            *** ALL Units: Average Access Time: 24ms - 34ms ***

    ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> MAGIC SAC - PC-DITTO/II - SPECTRE/GCR
                                        
             LARGER units are available - (special order only)

        * Removable Media Devices NOW Available (44mb) Syquest 555 *
                      * SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICES *

                  BARE SYQUEST #555 W/ CARTRIDGE: $679.00

                    EXTRA CARTRIDGES: 97.95  (anytime)

               * SYQUEST 44MB (#555) REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE *

     - SYQUEST 44 MB removable media drive     - ICD ST Host Adapter
     - ICD Mass Storage Utility Software       - 3' DMA Cable 
     - Fan & Clock                             - Multi-Unit Power Supply
                          (1) 44 MB Syquest Cart.

                  Completely Assembled and READY TO RUN!
                  in a shoebox OR under monitor cabinet  
                               ONLY $889.00
   
                      CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE
  
 We would offer floppy drives..  but Computer Shopper has 'em at  the right
 price.  And.. you can plug 'em right into our cabinets and power supplies.
 Low-Boy OR Standard Case (designed with  room  for  another  3.5  OR 5.25"
 drive)  They're made for user expansion!  TRUE UPGRADE-ABILITY!
   
   * TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT *
                        SPECIALLY PRICED  $1539.00 

    * SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS *
         - Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives -
          50mb SQG51   $1279.00           30mb SQG38    $1199.00
          65mb SQG09   $1339.00           85mb SQG96    $1399.00
                       
                 LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS

            *****  COMING SOON!   INSITE FLOPTICAL DRIVE  *****
                              Aug - Sep, 1990

             20 MB 3.5 FLOPPY DISK MASS STORAGE OPTICAL DRIVE!
            uses standard 3.5" floppy disks and Floptical disks
           Will access and read your present library of floppys

                              $789.95 approx.

       - Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets - TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets - 
                   Keyboard Custom Cables Call for Info
                      ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED

                       -* 12 month FULL Guarantee *-
                         (A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE)

                 Quantity & Usergroup Discounts Available!
                 _________________________________________

                     DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED!
                          please call for details

                 Personal and Company Checks are accepted.

                            ORDER YOURS TODAY!

                       904-783-3319    9am - 8pm EDT






      _______________________________________________________________





 > A "Quotable Quote"
   =================



 CPU NewsWire,



         "REAL DALEKS DON'T CLIMB STAIRS ..THEY LEVEL BUILDINGS!!"


                                           ... A moment of truth?


  



 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 CPU/STR           "Your Independent News Source"        February 02, 1990
 16/32bit Magazine         copyright  1989                      No.4.05
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
 the editors, staff,  CPU  NEWSWIRE  CPU/STR  or  CPU  Report.   Reprint
 permission is  hereby granted,  unless otherwise noted.  All reprints must
 include CPU NEWSWIRE, CPU/STR or CPU  Report and  the author's  name.  All
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